Dries Visser

Dries Visser Pure-Bred Game. Die heel beste wild. http://driesvisser.com

• Agriculture

Dries Visser Pure-Bred Game

Dries Visser Pure-Bred Game is situated in the game breeding heartland of the Thabazimbi bush veld. This area is widely known as the top game genetics region of South Africa, due to the outstanding trophy quality of the game found here. This is a heart-water area with mainly sweet grazing. Approximately 4 000 hectares of the Dries Visser farm is used for the breeding of high value game. The breeding area is safe from predators.

Dries Visser believes game breeders should not only concentrate on financial gain. A deep-rooted passion for the breeding of exceptional quality game genetics underpins everything at Dries Visser Pure-Bred Game. This positive approach has earned Dries Visser the enviable reputation of always being honest and sincere in his quest for conservation of wildlife and in his dealings with other game farmers.

The first game breeding project he started was a heart-water springbok programme in 1984.

Over many years Dries Visser developed a deep love for the majestic sable antelope. In the early nineties he managed to purchase six pure Matetsi sable from Zimbabwe and started his sable breeding programme.

Pure black mask Zambian sable

In 1995 Dries Visser visited Zambia and discovered the exceptionally beautiful, pure black mask sable of the Kafue region. To Dries Visser’s expert eye these special, pure Zambian sable with enormous horn length and black masks displayed the typical characteristics of the giant sable of Angola. It was love at first sight.

Visser immediately started a long-term, difficult project to import a group of black mask sable directly from Zambia. In 1999 he succeeded in bringing to his farm one of only two known breeding groups of pure Zambian sable.

Over the years since, Dries carefully managed the breeding of these beautiful animals so that he now owns a variety of quality black mask Zambian herds. The successful breeding of these spectacular animals, with their unique giant sable properties, black mask faces and excellent horn lengths, also led Dries to additional high value game species.

Today Dries Visser sable genetics are sought after by all breeders of quality sable. You’ll find the Dries Visser bloodline well-represented in many of South Africa’s top quality sable.

Top buffalo

The Dries Visser disease-free buffalo project consists of different bloodlines. Dries believes superior buffalo must be bred. This means one must use all the available bloodlines, regardless of origin, be it East Africa, Addo or Kruger.

Kruger buffalo have a wide genetic range, not found in other bloodlines. In general their bosses are bigger, horn drop lower, tip-to-tip measurement longer and their horns heavier.

In East African buffalo horn spread is often better than other breeds. Therefore, to breed a superior buffalo, these qualities should all be combined. It is unfair towards buffalo buyers to try and convince them Kruger buffalo represent higher risk. The truth is any buffalo is as clean as its last test.

Top golden and king wildebeest

To achieve the best genetics for his wildebeest projects, Dries went to Botswana searching for these animals. He found a few single golden and king wildebeest on different farms and purchased them. After acquiring the necessary permits and at great cost, he captured these wildebeest and brought them to South Africa to be incorporated into his breeding programmes.

Dries Visser placed the first king wildebeest on auction in 2010. This regal animal needed a name that reflected its stature as an exceptionally beautiful creature. The name king wildebeest comes from the fact that, to Dries Visser, this is the king of the wildebeest.

Kudu

Many years ago Dries Visser realised with careful breeding, the greater kudu will in time become one of the most sought-after plains game species in high value game breeding. He hand-selected the best kudu he could find to improve the genetics of his existing kudu breeding programme.

In 2015, Dries Visser sold Hercules (66⅝”) for a record R9.4m. Today Dries Visser is a founding member of Greater Kudu Club, a scientific breeding effort to use the biggest kudu bulls with the best cows to produce the best kudu progeny. Top quality kudu now represents one of the best investments available in high value game breeding.

Quality impala and other game

When it comes to black impala, as with other exceptional animals, Dries believes in concentrating on quality rather than quantity. He is of the opinion that to date, animals have been purchased solely for their colour, regardless of the quality of the animal.

It is known world-wide that the best quality southern impala are found in the Thabazimbi/Rooibokkraal area. The record books all prove it. Dries therefore uses these exceptional southern impala to infuse his black impala herd with quality bloodlines. This approach means Dries Visser black impala also contain the quality genetics of the Thabazimbi/Rooibokkraal southern impala.

He uses the same genetics for his promising saddle back impala breeding programme.

Amongst other game species, Dries Visser manages quality breeding projects for nyala and golden gemsbok.