John Visser

My journey with John Visser began around the age of twelve in the Karoo during a visit to my uncle. This initial encounter, driven by the search for jackal and caracal for export. My falconry connections with my uncle, John, and Heinrich von Michaelles started here.

In 1958, John managed FitzSimons’ Snake Park in Durban before transitioning mid-year to the Department of Nature Conservation in Stellenbosch, where he focused on waterfowl and was later stationed in Bredasdorp.

Visser's more intensive fieldwork commenced in November 1959. For six weeks, he tracked gorillas through the Kisoro National Park in Uganda for the Gorilla Research Unit, led by Raymond Dart. His early career also involved reptile collection for export in Kenya, followed by a stint as a professional game catcher in Tanzania and Somalia. Ultimately, he joined a game-catching team in Kenya, where he participated in the challenging practice of lassoing black rhinoceros using a bamboo pole.

By 1961, local Cape Town media had already begun reporting on falconry, indicating Visser's early involvement. In early 1962, he returned to Port Elizabeth as the Manager of the Game Immobilisation Division at Reckitt & Coleman, demonstrating the use of the drug M99 for immobilizing wild animals.

In mid-1964, Visser accepted a position with the Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Control Branch of the Veterinary Department in southeastern Rhodesia. However, within months, he returned to South Africa, establishing himself in Hout Bay. There, he dedicated himself full-time to collecting mammals, reptiles, and amphibians for zoos, universities, and research centers, which involved extensive global travel.

During this period, he was writing his first book, focused on venomous snakes and snakebite treatment, which was sponsored by the College of General Practitioners and published by Howard Timmins in 1966.

Visser undertook significant voyages to Marion Island in May/June 1980 and to Gough Island in November/December of 1980, 1981, and 1984 aboard the Antarctic supply ship SA Agulhas.

In 1974, he enrolled at the University of Natal in Pietermaritzburg as a mature student, pursuing an M.Sc. in Zoology. He was awarded this degree in 1990 for his thesis on frogs of the genus _Heleophryne_.

At the close of 2000, Visser founded the Shark Aquarium in Jeffreys Bay, successfully capturing and exporting numerous sharks to the Far East. Following the death of Brent and lacking a successor, he sold the Shark Aquarium in 2007 and relocated to Namibia, where he concentrated on herpetology and his writing.

His expertise as a herpetologist led to the discovery of a gecko species that was named in his honor: Visser's gecko (Pachydactylus visser). He made significant contributions to the field of southern African herpetology.

John Visser passed away in Singapore on May 15, 2012, after suffering two heart attacks the previous week.