Tom Crutchfield: Greatest Reptile Dealer of All Time?

[reptilebreeder]

I've never done business w/ Kamaran. Louis Porras was one of the "true greats". I can still remember (about 10-12 yrs ago) when he sent the letter out with his last list informing everyone he was closing up shop. That was a bummer.

Yes indeed that was a sad day. As mentioned earlier in this thread, talking about these people takes me back to the old price list days. The internet is awesome, can find just about any animal I'm looking for in a matter of minutes, but even printing a copy of the available page, just doesn't seem the same.

I still have 2 huge binders filled with 100's of old pricelists (must have spent a fortune sending SASE) sometimes I check them out, just to remember those that have dissapeared, and those that are still around after all that time.

 

[SPZOOLOGICAL]

(must have spent a fortune sending SASE) .

Hah! Remember your phone bills? Remember sitting on hold for 10 minutes, waiting to talk to someone for 30 seconds to find out about a particular animal?

The internet is quite the efficient tool for the herper. I don't know how I survived without it. Those were the days.

I still have some old lists around here too. Reflecting back, it's amazing how the market shifts on animals. Items plentiful then are in high demand now.

 

[Ophis]

Check out this link

http://www.cornutopia.com/Corn Utop...t & Present/Commercial Herpers of Florida.htm

For some old pictures of old herpers for the old guys to remember.

 

[SPZOOLOGICAL]

That was pretty cool!

 

[Ophis]

Figured you guys would enjoy it.

 

[KNOBTAIL]

Not to make myself that old, but I make it

my business to see Tom once a year at Daytona. I probably know him longer than anyone here since my escapades into the herp field started in 65. Tom used to purchase from me. I think with all the knowledge that he had aquired through the years, and all the contacts and wonderful animals he came into contact with, should lead him to prison time here and abroad.

He is a colorful character, and I enjoy his laughter, but their is a sad part to his life that one would not want. His days for selling are restrictive and the only thing he can hold onto are his memories.

I dont know between the fact and fiction of some of the threads , that the truth resides somewhere about his dealings. I for one am glad to know him, and as an old time herper and possibly one of the biggest during the 60s into the 70s I found him to be an honorable person to deal with if you were honorable to deal with him.

 

[cthulhu77]

Well said Jerry...I had the same experiences...dealt fairly with him, never had a problem.
A lot of the people that seem to loathe Tom may be those who always tried to "wheel and deal", which always po'd him...as far as his illegal activities, I was never exposed to any, and only heard about them 3rd party and waaaay after the fact...he was always upstanding with me, requiring all proper paperwork, etc...

Sorry to all of you that can't stand him, but I thought he was an ok guy.

greg

 

[KNOBTAIL]

Their were a few of us

that by the toss of the coin could have ended up with the same fate as Tom, the major difference as I see it is that Tom was an adventurer! I certainly was not. Hank Molt was also an adventurer and he is another colorful character that I see yearly.

I will try to put up some interesting articles that I saved from many years ago that actually pertained to my operation as an importer. The business was quite different then as were the participants.

 

[KNOBTAIL]

Some of the photos on the previous thread

from Joe Black, certainly brings back some memories. Mike Ellard and Joe Berruduci were children when they came into my operation. I still keep in touch with them. Ray Van Nostrand had hair when I knew him. Anyhow, I put some of the old ariticles together and hopefully they will download to this site. If not here is the address: http://www.jtresser.com/HERPS.html

 

[brucestephenson]

I bought a lot of stuff from Tom, and I'm proud of it!

 

[lanceheads]

Tom

Aww, I guess it's fashionable to bash someone for their misdeeds,

I like Tom and was his manager in the mid-nineties at T.C.R.E. in Lake Panasoffkee, Fl.
Those were crazy times back then, but WE were the largest reptile dealership back then, and I saw more reptiles in a year that most people ever see in their lifetime.
Strictly, Glades, Burgundy, Gulf Coast and other dealers weren't even a close second when it came to volume, rarity of the animals, etc.

Tom certainly has made a name for himself in this business, and will always be remembered for his great pricelist descriptions of animals, i.e. (Wagler Vipers,
Great Xmas Tree ornament!),( Black Mamba's, buy one of these to chase your mother-in-law around!), so on and so forth!

Tom also was respondsible for bringing some rare "firsts" into the trade,
such as albino Burmese, albino Green Iguanas, albino alligators, etc.
So, with that said, I think he deserves better respect than what I have seen on previous posts. (in my opinion).

Randal Berry

 

[KNOBTAIL]

Hey Randal,

Nice to hear from you. I agree with you wholeheartedly, see you in Aug. JERRY

 

[pch101]

I have never done a deal with Tom and I am very proud of it. I have never even spoken to him. There are a few herpers that did this as a business when there were few laws governing this trade. When the laws went into affect, it seems that some of these old timers seemed to harbor resentment toward these laws. Call it colorful if you want to... Personally, Tom could offer me free animals and I would refuse them. I make it a policy to avoid all contact with individuals that have no regard for the laws that protect the animals that they claim to care about. This is why people here do not like him. It has nothing to do with them not being able to wheel and deal a lower price for "his" animals. There is more to it than just money. I could care less about what he offered or the "quality" of what he offered. When someone smuggles an animal, they are stealing from everyone, and anyone that would smuggle a Fiji Island Banded Iguana is someone to be avoided at all costs. I am sure he is a very nice guy, so maybe I should say that he is a nice guy that should be avoided at all costs. Does that help?

 

[lanceheads]

Fair enough James, and..

Jerry, I'll probably be down before Daytona, so maybe we can hook up!

Randal

 

[starwarsdad]

I know a little bit about his legal "problems" from what I have read, but my experiences with Crutchfield in the early nineties were always good. I do not know him as a person and make no judgments on that basis just on my business dealings with him 12 or 13 years ago.

 

[DavidButton]

Hmmm, I have known Tom since I was 12 back in 1976 and even though I am well aware of his problems with the law over the years I would still buy from him in a minute. He taught me most of what I knew about reptiles back then and was one of the greatest proponents of raising public awarness about herps and the loss of their habitats in the areas around where I grew up in Ft. Myers Fla. There are several posts on here by people who don't even know the man and are condeming him by what they have read or heard. WHAT EVER! People make mistakes and you have to give them the chance to redeem themselves or you yourself will become the one who in the wrong. For those of you who remember back to the days of herping old you should really appreciate this gallery at my site. These are some old herping pics, and yes that is Tom himself doing a herp talk at a school and me standing behind him assisting. There are also some copies of the S.W. Fla. herp society news letters that were put out by Dennis Sargent back when Tom was the President. Those were different times for sure. And check out the prices on those snakes in the news letters. Makes me cry.


http://www.thealbinoboa.com/galleries/RetroHerpPics/Retro Herp.html


David Button

 

[herpcondo]

I Guess my memories of Tom and his place are pretty good. I use to visit his place a few times a year and handpick my own animals,,, Tom was always busy,, but would always take a few minutes to talk to me, show me the "new arrivals" and just over take a little time With me. I use to go to quite a few wholesalers in the Tampa area and Toms place was at least somewhat clean. i do remeber a guy out back washing out aquariums for the "new arrivals" when i was there. other wholesalers would just throw new animals straight out of the crates and bags into nasty aquariums that had held countless number of other animals since they had seen a scrub brush. He always had neat stuff to see and my best memory was of a large picture he had in his office of a large constrictor that had consumed a small child. it was a B/W that he said was from WWII taken on an island nation back then by a GI and he had aquired it from the GI ( i think?) my memory of the whole story is a little fuzzy,,, but a cool pic anyway,,,, I too use to enjoy getting his pricelists,,
As far as the criminal aspects,, i do not know,, but as a guy,, he seemed like a pretty cool guy and his place was awesome.. tons of cool animals,, and a good use for an old strip mall.. I think he was way ahead of his time in the reptile wholesale world,, and maybe that was his downfall,,, who knows,,, but my direct dealings with him were good,, and i can't see how people who have never met him, ordered from him or been to his place can say a whole lot about the man,,, i had some good memories of visiting his place and to me it was the mark back then by which all other wholesalers should have tried to meet. i guess i would buy from Tom if he was still around,, but hey,, it is what it is,,,,

 

[evansnakes]

So just because somebody is your friend or you like them it is OK for them to lie, cheat, traffic in and kill endangered speices and rip people off? And Randall, after working for Tom I would think you would have some sympathy for the others who were working for him in the end and when he ran out of the USA to avoid prosecution the government went after them. Knowing this he still fled and refused to come back. The only reason he returned at all was due to the agents going and getting him and dragging him back. The "stories" are true for folks like Jerry who just remember those great old days. Tom sent people junk. He sent people dead animals that were dead prior to shipping. He sent people who paid top dollar, b grade or worse product. Where do you think all his junk went? He sold it to somebody. Now you good old boys can think back to those happier, simpler days, but when you do, try to remember what actually went on and not an idealized version of it. I have friends in this industry that have been in prison and they are my friends regardless but it does not change the facts that they did what they did. Tom is the same case. And for Hank Molt, it is pretty common knowledge what Hank has done over the years and there is a good reason that most of the old timers avoid him at shows and will not talk to him. Guys like Tom and Hank have a small group of old time herp guys who hang out with them, but most people see them for what they are. Guys who smuggled, trafficked and sold animals they knew they should not have. Hank even just a couple years ago did a big number on his partner in their petshop in Georgia. At least Tom seems to be making an effort to not break the law.

 

[lanceheads]

Don Williams=Pot calling the kettle black!

.....and possibly the biggest CROOK in the herp world EVER ! Aside from that - he is a COWARD and his wife is a total BITCH ! I would'nt buy a dead reptile from Tom Crutchfield He should have his ass kicked just for good measure. Can I say that on here ? If not, my apologies to all, but for anyone to come on here and spout the praises of Tom Crutchfiled - man what could you be thinking ?

Wow, Don Williams post is a prime example of the pot calling the kettle black!
Were'nt you arrested at your place of employment Don (school) for violating laws concerning reptiles?




Seizure of snakes may be hiss-toric



Sidney Levesque / Reporter-News Staff Writer

Authorities suspect the more than 100 snakes corralled in two raids this week are part of a network of people who buy and sell venomous snakes for collectors. The snake busts occurred at two Abilene homes on Thursday. This may be the largest venomous-snake bust Abilene has ever had, said Alvin O'Dell, program manager for the city's animal control office.


Charges have not been filed or citations issued in the snake bust. No names have been released, and an investigation is ongoing.

Owning a venomous snake is illegal in the city of Abilene. The punishment is a fine similar to a traffic ticket. If threatened or endangered species are found, charges become more serious.

So far, no such snakes have been found. Some rattlesnakes indigenous to the area were confiscated. Others were from Central America.

The local office of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department conducted the first snake bust Thursday. Eighty poisonous snakes were seized from a home, said Capt. Sparks Burdett, a game warden.

The second, smaller snake seizure Thursday night was conducted by city animal control, which was acting on a tip, O'Dell said. About 25 snakes were seized at the second home.

The snakes were taken to the Abilene Zoo. A permanent home for the reptiles has not been determined, O'Dell said.

One of the homes where snakes were seized was in the 2900 block of South 7th Street. Neighbor Johnna Hookings said the snakes did not pose a threat, and she did not understand why they were removed.

''I've seen them before, and they were all in cages,'' she said. ''They were his pets.''

Some of the snakes were dehydrated and thin when they arrived at the zoo, said Jeff Bullock, zoo director. He said one viper needs surgery.


Contact Sidney Levesque at [email protected] or 676-6721.

Abilene Reporter-News (TX)
October 16, 2004
Section: News LOCAL
Edition: ALL

Seems to me that you should think hard and heavy BEFORE you post NEGATIVE posts concerning someone else! "man, what could you be thinking?"

 

[DavidButton]

Hey, I never said that the tings he did that got him into trouble were right or that I condoned hsi actions. Hell, it wasn't the first time he had gotten into trouble for the same thing. But I am saying that people can change and that we should give them the chance to do so. Tom is probably one of the most knowledgeable herp people on the planet and that is whe I admire about him. Not his illegal practices. Now he is trying to come back into the world that he loves and I think he should be given that chance, and the benefit of the doubt that he is going to do things right and not break any laws or screw anyone.

David Button