The New Big 5 is a global photography project celebrating the animals we hold most dear
IUCN STATUS
CRITICALLY ENDANGERED, ENDANGERED, VULNERABLE
Spotting the so-called Big 5 remains a popular goal for those on safari in South Africa, Botswana or one of the other African countries blessed with extraordinary wildlife. But the term was first coined by travellers with a darker motive. The original Big 5 (the lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant and African buffalo) were the animals most difficult – and therefore most exciting – for colonial hunters to shoot and kill for trophies. This is also why we still refer to ‘game drives’. With this in mind, wildlife photographer Graeme Green started the project the ‘New Big 5’ to reclaim the gruesome term. To do so, he asked people around the world to vote on the five animals they most like to photograph and see in photos. More than 50,000 people voted. The New Big 5, a book that brings together 165 of the world’s greatest wildlife photographers and conservationists, celebrates the winners (elephants, polar bears, lions, gorillas and tigers), while also raising awareness about the issues that affect these creatures and many others like them.