The misadventures of an Exotic Animal Cowboy come to life in a collection of stories about his early days with animals. The tales unfold in the shadow of the University of Florida during the golden days of peace and love. Join Will Thacker and his friends as they navigate their way through the turbulent years of the sixties and seventies.
Don’t miss any of William Thacker’s adventures: Otters on a Plane • Orinoco • An Untamed Land • The Pearl Islands • The Gainesville Tales
“A slightly battered six-foot lizard was flushed from a live oak tree before a group of fascinated bystanders here yesterday, ending the saga of the Gainesville Dragon. The thirty-pound lizard was recaptured in a residential area about three blocks from where it smashed out of its cage Monday morning. The grey lizard was imported from Singapore by Bill Thacker of Grey Owl Imports. It earned its nickname because it is a cousin of the Komodo dragon and looks like a creature from a science fiction movie.
Ms. Leslie Cosby spotted the lizard sauntering across a street into her yard. A dog chased it up a sixty-foot tree while neighbors gathered in fascination. Ms. Cosby notified police and eight patrolmen and an animal warden sped to the scene.
Mike Corn, a 26-year-old graduate student, climbed the tree and vigorously shook the uppermost branches where the lizard had fled. Thacker, a 23-year-old animal expert, pounced on the lizard and subdued it after it landed on the ground.”
-excerpt from The Gainesville Tales