Celebrity snakes Lemon and Lime grab attention at exotic mobile zoo

When Orayne Graham invited me to a tour of his Eastern Exotic Pets Mobile Zoo, I eagerly accepted as I wanted to see the tropical animals that he had on display.

However, as I observed him extracting two ball pythons from their enclosures, the thought of making a swift exit from the zoo crossed my mind. But Graham, who saw the trepidation printed on my face, laughed loudly as the snakes attached themselves to his body and slithered around his waist and neck. The reptiles, which he nicknamed Lemon and Lime, he said are among the friendliest creatures.

"They are very friendly and smart, believe me. They don't sting or bite, and they are tamed and trained, so they won't bite you. I once had a phobia for snakes but I got over that in 2017 when I started the pet zoo, and now they are my little friends," he said.

Lemon and Lime are local celebrities and are used at school exhibitions, music videos and photo shoots. According to Graham, more Jamaicans are purchasing snakes as pets, as they are easier to maintain than pure-bred dogs.

"A snake like this values $150,000 to $200,000. People prefer to have snakes as pets because they are easier to feed and handle. They eat two or three times for the month and they are friendly," he said.

During the interview, the friendly serpents slithered all over their master and then found their way into the arms of his three-year-old daughter, Raynia, who giggled gleefully.

In addition to the ball pythons, Graham also rears Chinese silky chickens, Yellow-Naped Amazon parrots, tortoises, love birds, Scarlett Macau, iguanas and Ayam Cemani Chickens. The entrepreneur and animal lover told THE WEEKEND STAR that he ventured into the pet business after he found it difficult to break into the entertainment business.

"The music has been a rough journey so I just decided to go into the zoo business after buying two birds for my daughter in 2017," said Graham, who uses the moniker Prince Reign in the entertainment sphere.

"I invested a lot in this business and, trust mi, having all these animals is rough because one of the birds can cost as much as $200,000. The tortoise cost me over $100,000. It's not cheap to maintain them because their food is expensive as well, but I enjoy doing this. It put smile [on people's faces] and offer peace to a lot of individuals," he said.

"These pets help to relieve stress, as they are very funny and it's like they can understand when you are having a down moment. They will do little antics to cheer you up," he said.

The 30-year-old businessman said his small enterprise has been properly registered and is operating with all the required permits. He anticipates adding more exotic birds and reptiles to his collection soon.