First edition published June 2010; Illustrations by Lauren de Villiers; Photography by John Lamberti; cover design by ScarlettDesign; layout and design by Barbara Mueller,Printing by MegaDigital, Cape Town.

About the Book:

Many books have been written about game rangers. Most are set in the African bushveld or savannas and portray the romantic image of rugged men exposed to harsh elements and dangerous game. The stories in this book are different. They give an insight into the lives of conservationists in the Eastern Cape; ordinary men and women who may not face the dangers of lions, crocodiles and Anopheles mosquitoes on a daily basis, but who have a passion for protecting one of the most beautiful and diverse regions in Africa. I must therefore firstly thank all the professional conservationists and field rangers who form the basis of the stories. This book is dedicated to them.

Comments from our Readers:

At last Div De Villiers book of short stories is out; entitled The Poacher: and other hunting, fishing and conservation stories, published by New Voices Publishing, Cape Town, www.newvoices.co.za , at less than the price of a case of beer.  Delightfully enlivened with cartoons by Div and his daughter Lauren.

I do not hesitate to put Div up there with H C Bosman as a short story writer about some of the outdoors people in South Africa, but in the Eastern Cape rather than the Marico.  He has a wonderful sense of humour, and of sympathy with his characters all of whom are real though sometimes thinly disguised.  One day hopefully there will be a Patrick Mynhard to tell them from the stage to a wider audience.

J M (Jim) Feely
Cornlands Farm, P O Box 237, Maclear, 5480, South Africa.  

Article in the Daily Despatch - 15 July 20120

About the Author:

The Eastern Cape is one of the most beautiful, diverse and wild areas of South Africa with a proud, yet poorly recorded conservation history. Div de Villiers has a passion for the province, its people and its wildlife, an emotion that is portrayed in his writings.
Div joined Cape Nature Conservation in 1983 after completing his military service as an infantry officer with the 31 Bushmen Battalion in Namibia’s Caprivi Strip. Since then he has travelled, fished, hunted and worked as a professional conservationist throughout the Eastern Cape for almost three decades, during which time he has developed an intimate knowledge of the wild places and characters of the region.
Div has received numerous awards for his courage and dedication in conserving nature. He has published articles and stories in a variety of magazines, books and journals, and in 2006 co-authored the best-selling non-fiction book, Mkambati and the Wild Coast. For his contribution to wildlife and environmental journalism, he received awards from South African Breweries and The Eastern Cape Game Management Association.

The Poacher is a collection of fascinating, humorous and thought-provoking stories that Div has written over the years, which give rare insight into the experiences of game rangers, conservationists and colourful characters of the Eastern Cape in a style that some say is not dissimilar to that of Herman Charles Bosman.

Also by the author:

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