Motorists heading north on Highway 22 through Valley Grande Thursday couldn’t help pulling a double-take as they passed Dave’s Market.

The usual signs and advertisements that are seen in front of the stores in the shopping center had some unusual company in the form of goats, sheep, donkeys and camels as part of a live nativity scene.

The animals came to Dallas County through Staples Safari Zoo, a company run by Brian and son David Staples based out of Washington state.

“I train animals for television shows and movies and a lot of the animals we have here have done television and commercial work,” Brian said. “We’ve become friendly with the mayor and the owner of the Selma Flea Market. We tour around the country doing live animal shows and educational programs and we are finding ourselves spending more and more time in Selma because of all the hospitality and kindness we encounter.” Brian, who is in Selma to teach scuba classes at the Selma-Dallas County YMCA, said he has received a tremendous amount of support. Dave’s Market provided the animals with produce it can no longer sell, and Flower’s Bakery has also provided assistance.

While those companies kept the animals fed, Brian said Dr. Mark Lawrence and Dr. George Wood of the Selma Animal Hospital are helping keep them healthy. Marvin’s. a Selma hardware supplier, has also helped with materials.

The display, Brian said, has gotten a lot of attention from residents of Dallas County and others where are passing through.

“These animals bring a lot of happiness to kids,” he said. “Most of these animals were the animals that would have been seen during the nativity, so we try to keep it authentic.”

The animals were to be on display throughout the afternoon on Thursday, but Staples said he did not know if they would be back on display this week.