Interview controversial London politician Ken Livingstone , whose chosen pets were newts ! In the later 1970s , he went into another partnership , this time called the London Herpetological Agency , which supplied reptiles and other creatures to the booming media , advertising and movie industries . It was this agency that supplied thousands of snakes for the first Indiana Jones movie – as well as a King Cobra for Death on the Nile with Peter Ustinov and Bette Davis , and iconic creatures such as the Toucan used in ad campaigns for Guinness , and python used by Smirnoff vodka . There was also plenty of magazine and newspaper photography work , such as supplying another python for a Page-3 nude model shoot for one of the red-top papers .
Island retreat
During those crazy days , Graham found the Island a peaceful holiday retreat , and in 1978 bought an idyllic thatched cottage at St Lawrence , where he began spending weekends and commuting to a flat in London for work . “ I loved the Island but business-wise it was a bad move and was a silly thing to do ” he reflects . “ It meant I wasn ’ t quite so readily available for the film people in London , and so gradually , that work began to dry up ”. In the end - discouraged and fed up of all the commuting - Graham made his choice , closed the London business and moved full-time to the Island in the early 80s , going into another shop in Ryde . It was from here that he supplied exotic birds to famous Island attractions including Robin Hill , the Flamingo Park and St Lawrence Bird Garden , all still in their heyday . He also began importing tropical fish and when the business partnership broke up , he went back to what he knew best - reptile supply . He operated from a smallholding , where he had space to breed from some of the animals he imported . However , the 90s weren ’ t a particulary happy time for Graham , with a relationship breakdown , increasing red tape and paperwork – and finally a raid by Customs and Excise . Ultimately the case went to court and Graham won – but it all left him feeling disillusioned and ready for a big change .
El Gringo
This presented itself in 1995 when he was visiting an animal dealer in Miami , Florida , who had just come from Peru with a shipment . “ He said ‘ why not come back to Peru with me ?’ “ recalls Graham , “ and as it was only a 68 dollar flight , I thought I had nothing to lose by having a look ”. Once there he quickly grasped the down-side – it was hardly a safe place for a foreigner to take up residence , what with revolutionaries openly killing people , quite apart from the wild animals that inhabited the jungles of the Amazon Basin . But as he says , he was ‘ seduced ’ by the idea of being in a country that was warm , and that wouldn ’ t impose many restrictions on him setting up a business . Ready for the big leap of faith , he returned to the UK , tied up a few loose ends , and effectively ‘ burned his bridges ’ here for what turned out to be 22 years . Back in Peru , he bought five acres of land in Pucallpa , about 1,000 miles away from the Capital city of Lima , and built a large English-style house complete with lake . The whole deal set him back the equivalent of about £ 60,000 at the time – which might not sound a lot by UK standards , but in that Third-World country it meant Graham was perceived very much as a millionaire foreigner , and thus fair game for robbers . Over the years , he also became surrounded by shacks , as squatters moved gradually onto his land . “ My comparitive wealth attracted all these people .” he says . “ As the squatters took over more and more of the land , I was forced to buy a
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