{"title":"Fransje Van Riel","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"my-life-with-leopards-book-fransje-van-riel-9781910670866","title":"My Life with Leopards","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49536797475089,"sku":"GOR011440476","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1910670863.jpg?v=1751379772"},{"product_id":"my-life-with-leopards-book-fransje-van-riel-9780143530299","title":"My life with leopards","description":"Human emotion and animal instinct meet poignantly when two six-week-old leopard cubs become the charge of 22-year-old game ranger Graham Cooke at Londolozi. Staying with the cubs in an unfenced bush camp surrounded by lions, hyenas and other leopards, he must first gain their trust before he begins to guide them towards release in the wild. It takes weeks of patience and gentleness for Graham to be accepted into the cubs' small family unit and to find ways of communicating with the young leopards as he slowly begins to introduce them to their new environment. Graham finds himself drawn more to the wary little female than her easy-going brother, but over time both cubs come to recognise him as their protector. They form a bond of friendship through which he can gain unparalleled insights into their development and behaviour. When, a year later, the cubs are relocated to the Zambian wilderness, Graham faces the hardest task of all: to set free the young animals he has become so devoted to so that they can return to a wild existence where he is unable to control their fate.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49562613317905,"sku":"GOR006444968","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50704124772625,"sku":"GOR010651351","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51797373550865,"sku":"GOR006967751","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0143530291.jpg?v=1751452736"},{"product_id":"my-life-with-leopards-graham-cooke-s-story-rare-book-fransje-van-riel-1713249678abs","title":"My Life With Leopards - Graham Cooke's Story","description":"2012. First Edition Thus. 230 pages. Signed by the author. Pictorial paper covers. Signed by the author with dedication to title page. Colour photographic plates. 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Establishing himself and his charges in a small, tented camp in the South African bush, Graham set about his task of habituating the cubs to the dangers of the wild, in preparation for their eventual release.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut first he had to gain the young leopards' trust. Boycat, the slightly bigger male cub, proved to be an easy-going character, and after initial reservations he soon settled in. However, his sister, Poepface, was less easily swayed. Her complex character and strong reservations persisted, despite Graham's efforts to win her trust. Eventually, Poepface relented, and so began a love story; a powerful bond.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen, a year later, Graham prepared the cubs for their release into the remote South Luangwa Valley, he knew it was the beginning of the end. Joining the cubs on daily walks to familiarise them with their new home, Graham knew that soon it would be time to let go.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSet in both in the bushveld of South Africa and the wilderness that is the South Luangwa Valley, \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eMy Life with Leopards\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003eis a story interwoven with love, loss, danger and heartbreak.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePraise for \u003cem\u003eMy Life with Leopards\u003c\/em\u003e: \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Set in the spectacular wilderness of the South African lowveld and later in Zambia's Luangwa Valley - both vividly portrayed - this is as poignant a tale of unrequited love as you are ever likely to read. And, like the best animal stories, it tugs at the heartstrings without ever descending into anthropomorphism' - \u003cem\u003eBBC Wildlife Magazine\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'This compelling story is a 'must-read' for anyone who loves nature and the challenges of helping two young leopards get back to their wild world. Well-written, entertaining and emotional; to be enjoyed' - Richard Leakey\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'I found myself turning the pages wanting to know what was coming next, and I admit at times getting choked up and teary eyed. Having been fortunate enough to have visited the South Luangwa Valley, many years after this story takes place, I wondered if any of the Leopards I saw there were the descendants of Graham's Poepface' - \u003cem\u003ePurr and Roar Online Review\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIf sometimes you feel as though you want to run off and work in the bush and escape urban life this book is a great compromise. The beautifully written moments of these little leopards' lives are detailed to make one feel as though you are in the camp with them, walking along a thorny path of Londolozi' s bushveld - \u003cem\u003eLife In Balance Magazine\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFransje van Riel\u003c\/strong\u003e was born in The Netherlands and lived there and in the UK before settling in South Africa. Now living in Cape Town, she supports several animal-related projects, and her other books include Life with Darwin - and Other Baboons. My Life with Leopards is her third book.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51056059351313,"sku":"NIN9781839013584","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52454458720529,"sku":"NLS9781839013584","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1839013583.jpg?v=1751091005"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/en-au\/collections\/author-books-by-fransje-van-riel.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}