Local author tackles world of illegal rhino hunting

Date: 13 August 2016 By: Isabel Venter

Soutpansberg author Dawie Botha has released a startling new novel, lifting the veil on the romance of the African wilderness.

In his novel, Rhino Blood, he depicts the stark reality of rhino poaching and its impact on the species’s struggle for survival on this cruel continent. “The brutality with which rhino, and elephant, are killed and the tragic circumstances of the people involved was a major inspiration in writing this book,” said Dawie. “One of the biggest obstacles I had to face was the emotional involvement in the story. The killing scenes were all very upsetting, and as an animal lover and a person who has never hunted, the reality of what I experienced was just mindblowing,” he added.

Dawie grew up on the East Rand when gold mining in that area of South Africa came to a halt. After two years, studying at the then Rand Afrikaans University, he worked all over the Free State and Limpopo. “The general feeling toward poaching, and especially rhino poaching, is very strong in an area where we have already lost so many rhinos. Some of what I wrote is based on fact and some of it is fiction, but the ultimate extinction of the rhino and elephant is a stark reality,” explained Dawie about his first novel.

Rhino Blood is published by the Strategic Book Publishing and Rights Agency in the United States of America, and distributed by Ingram Books. “We are extremely proud to announce the release of this powerful novel that tackles the criminal world of poaching and its brutal consequences,” said Robert Fletcher, CEO of Strategic Book Publishing and Rights Agency.

Rhino Blood (ISBN: 978-1-63135-662-9) is now available for $10.95 and can be ordered through the publisher’s website by logging on to http://sbprabooks.com/DawieBotha or by visiting www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com.

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Isabel Venter

Isabel joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in 2009 as a reporter. She holds a BA Degree in Communication Sciences from the University of South Africa. Her beat is mainly crime and court reporting.

More photos... 

The cover of Dawie Botha's first novel, Rhino Blood.