THE FULL STORY
About
Hollywild Animal Preserve is a 501(c)(3) non-profit wildlife preserve located on 80 acres.
Our Mission
Our mission is to provide refuge, protect, and care for
nonreleasable, endangered, wild, and domesticated animals.
We care for roughly 400 animals across spacious pastures,
natural wooded areas, ponds, and landscaped habitats.
Visitors can connect with nature through a variety of seasonal offerings:
Deer Park
Drive-Through:
A hands-on, seasonal drive-through experience allowing guests to interact directly with large herds of deer and other hooved animals
Private Animal
Encounters:
Guided, upclose interactions with select animals.
Nature
Nook Retreats:
Overnight glamping stays on the preserve grounds.
HISTORY OF HOLLYWILD
The history of Hollywild harkens back to the 1940’s when the Meeks family lived in a rural area of Spartanburg County.
They regularly tended to farm animals and found a lot of enjoyment in doing so. They had goats and cows, chickens and horses. Their interest in animals soon led them to expand their assortment of wildlife, so squirrels, opossums, foxes and species indigenous to South Carolina entered the picture in the Meeks’ household.
The youngest son of four children, David, had a great affinity for animals and a God-given talent to handle them and understand their individual languages and behaviors.
He spent much of his time enjoying their company.
The more he learned, the more he was eager to learn.
By happenstance, when he went off to college, a student in his dorm had a pet monkey that was totally out of control (Not to mention, not allowed to be in college!) He had trashed the dorm room.
David agreed to clean up the chaotic room in exchange for the monkey.
“HUBERT”
“Hubert” came to represent the beginning of David’s unspoken childhood dream of one day owning a zoo, and this latest addition fuelled the expansion of his wild backyard.
Soon he had an ocelot, and then he welcomed a cougar kitten. Wolves entered the picture shortly thereafter. Species by species, their backyard menagerie continued to expand. Before long, total strangers drove up to the Meeks’ back yard, curious to see what new animals may have arrived.
The Meeks family began spending a lot of their working hours entertaining strangers so they thought they would charge admission to discourage people from visiting every weekend. However, the plan didn’t work out as intended. They interpreted the fee of admission not as a deterrent but rather an invitation.
Father and son quickly realized they needed to find a more structured way to share their love of animals with others.
In 1970, they opened their zoo and called it “M&M Zoo.” Deer, swans, monkeys, capybaras, tigers, pheasants, lions, ducks, bears and otters covered the grounds in some disarray.
Even Donna, an Asian elephant, found a special place in the heart of the small rural, rustic zoo. However, there was always a greater vision for this wild back yard. David and his wife bought his father’s portion of the animal menagerie and property and set their sights on higher goals.
In 1985, bulldozers moved in and began the process of essentially starting over. A lot of changes were needed! Endless construction began with the goal of achieving a balance between animal care and safe access for the public to enjoy the animals in residence.
David and his talent in working with wild animals were soon discovered by Hollywood.
Cinema Animal Talent was founded to meet the calls asking for him to provide animals for the movies.
“LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION”
IS A CALL THEY KNOW WELL
Best known became the Lincoln Mercury Lynx and Cougar commercials of the 1970s, which aired across the nation and propelled this venture into a great deal of success.
The talent agency provided the financial backbone to carry on David’s dream of building a zoo. A new name was formulated to recognize all the wild animals that found their way into the spotlights of Hollywood: “Hollywild.”
In 1999, the operation of Hollywild became a 501(C)(3) Non-Profit Organization in order for the park to meet new challenges and opportunities.
Many programs were added and the park was greatly expanded. At its peak, the park welcomed 150,000 visitors per year and employed dozens of people, many of whom went on to become veterinarians or to further pursue animal related careers.
David Meeks retired in 2015. Shortly thereafter, David and his wife decided to refocus all their energies and time on enjoying and caring for the animals full time, with the assistance of a small staff.
They began operating their facility as an animal Preserve with limited public access.
The Magic of Lights, (formerly the Holiday Lights Safari) Benefit, which for three decades has been a local family tradition, still serves as their annual fundraiser.
This event is indispensable to ensure the well-being of the 350+ animals still in residence.
Periodically, the Meek’s grant access to the public through highly personalized animal experiences and by opening the preserve as a drive-through, while still maintaining their focus on animal care and enrichment, relishing the enjoyment of doing just that.
In 2025, a new chapter has been added to the story!
Austin Meeks, the youngest of three children, and his wife, Morgan, have completed phase one of their glamping endeavour.
Their goal is to continue providing opportunities for people to interact with the hundreds of animals in residence and to share the beautiful venue that has been developed over many years.
CINEMA ANIMAL TALENT
ANIMAL MOVIE STARS
Cinema Animal Talent is an agency specifically dedicated to providing rare and unusual animals for film productions, commercials and special events.
Over 65 movie credits, countless commercials, and hundreds of special events have featured some of the animals who currently live at Hollywild Animal Preserve, or have lived here during the preserve’s history.
David Meeks founder of Cinema Animal Talent and co-founder of Hollywild, has met the needs of untold projects for over forty-five years, having even been called to serve as a "stunt double" appearing alongside some very special animals.
SHOULD YOU HAVE A NEED
FOR ANIMAL TALENT
Director David Meeks can be reached at
864-472-2038 (office)
864-316-9572 (cell)
FILM CREDITS
A Breed Apart - A Killing Affair - Betsy’s Wedding - Blood Savage - Box of Moonlight - Boy’s Life - Date with an Angel - Days of Thunder - Elvis has left the building - Everybody Wins - Flight of the Tigers - Golden Years - Happy Campers - Heavy Weights - Help at home live - Last of the Mohicans - Leader of the Band - Man Hunter - Maniacts - Monkey Shines - Never Say Goodbye - New York Undercover - Order of the Black Eagle - Paradise - Paris Trout - Prancer - Prince of Tides - Reuben, Reuben - Reversal of Fortune - Ripe - Rottweilers - The Big Chill - The Black Panther - The Masked Man and the Devil’s Gold - The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking - The Real McCoy - The Stand - They