He procured animals of many different types and sizes from Africa, Asia and South America and imported them to the United States via ship and airplane.

His business was headquartered on Fulton Street in Manhattan, New York City, NY, USA, where his shop was considered a local attraction in its own right.

In the early 1960s his building along with the neighboring properties were bought by the Port Authority for the construction of New York City's World Trade Center.

Heinrich had been born in Grosshettstedt, Thuringia, Germany, and first became acquainted with animals by watching, tracking, catching and trapping them in the forest there as a young boy.

Heinrich completed a stint in the Kaiser's Navy and afterwards worked on a shipping line where he collected animals from various ports and brought them back to Germany as a way to make money on the side.

Sometime after he became married he impressed August Fockelmann with his knowledge of animals and took the job as zoo manager so he could spend his time ashore with his family.

Henry frequently recalled that his early years in the zoo set the stage for his interest in animals his entire life.

He spoke a great deal of animals and at times captivated the attention of the sailors with his stories and facts, which he had acquired from his father, from books, and from first hand experience at the zoo.

In the meantime, he was able to land a job at Riggs' Restaurant, first as a dishwasher and later as a food preparer, where he shared his dreams of an animal business with his coworkers and bosses.

He remembered that his father used to speak of the satisfaction of supplying reptiles to the Pasteur institute for research in antivenoms, and he felt the same way about his role with the polio vaccine and other medical breakthroughs to which he contributed in his small way.

A flamboyant showman, Trefflich built a million-dollar-a-year business selling exotic creatures from his four-story Lower Manhattan menagerie to scientists, moviemakers and carnival hucksters.

Occasionally a restless snake would escape from Trefflich's store; once 100 monkeys created harmless havoc on Wall Street and made the headlines.