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” 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. To date, more than 65 feature films have called on David Meeks to provide such talent. Countless commercials, photographs, brochures, art exhibits, special events, conferences, private parties and Nativities have all benefited from hand-reared animals that easily adjust to changing environments. “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.”