As far back as he can remember, Maxime Pain has always been in contact with animals. In the house of his mother, Françoise Piet, in Montmorillon, the building that now houses his guinea pigs, lived his great-grandfather's hunting dog. “We always have animalsremember Françoise, even when in the pavilion. Chicken, rabbit…”

However, Maxime took his interest from his aunt in Saint-Léomer who kept guinea pigs and rabbits. “He did it for fun and lust, he explained, but follow certain standards so as not to lose its race. »

He passed on his taste for preserving this species to Maxime who, at the age of 12, began breeding pigeons. And with him he began exhibiting his animals at poultry shows. He quickly joined Montmorillonnais Poultry Farmers Society (Sam) who is currently the president.

As time went by, he found interest in other livestock: dwarf rabbits, chickens, pigeons… before launching into guinea pigs in 2020. “guinea pigs and guinea pigs are the same thing”he explained to the philistine who questioned him. In fact, he has no end to this native South American animal, of which he now has about fifty specimens: short-haired or long-haired like the alpaca, shelty, texel, Peruvian or even Abyssinian… “I try to improve and preserve genetics”he says. So, he did not hesitate to travel hundreds of kilometers to look for new seeds in Germany.

He also participated in various poultry exhibitions: from Montmorillon, Poitiers, Châtellerault or Limoges, to Épinal and Puy-en-Velay for the furthest. It was during these events that Maxime managed to sell some of his protégés. Food and other expenses had to be covered, especially since there were still dwarf rabbits, chickens, ducks, etc. on the family property.

He planned to soon move his zoo to Civaux where he would settle, leaving a portion of it to his mother. “I will miss him so much”he explains. Maxime now shares his passion for animals with his friends. “He had no choice”he laughed. In return, he took up kayaking, his passion. Two people paddle in the same direction.