The Wild True Story Behind Monsters of God

Based in Philadelphia, Molt's obsession with exotic climates and wildlife led him to search the world for exotic reptiles in the 1960s and sell them from his newly acquired Pennsylvania pet store. Molt is considered a crucial figure in the growth of reptile houses in American zoos, which at the time were a rare attraction. He prepared and distributed a price list of rare reptiles--including snakes, turtles, lizards--and sold them to a wide variety of eager customers and competitive zoos. Molt often carried them into the country in suitcases, easily circumventing the relatively lax customs regulations. When the Endangered Species Act came into effect in 1973, Molt's smuggling business boomed--declaring a reptile species as "endangered" also meant it was rarer and more valuable, allowing Molt to fetch a higher price.