3. Origin of the name Big Five
• How did these five animals – the lion, elephant, buffalo, rhinoceros
and leopard – come to be called the Big Five?
• It was originally a hunting term used by the so-called ‘great white
hunters’ in the hunting heyday of the 19th and early 20th centuries,
when professional hunters bagged as many trophies as possible in
as short a time as possible.
4. Contiue…Origin of the name Big Five
• Considered a rite of passage for seasoned travelers, everybody
from American presidents to European royalty and heads of state
came to Africa to shoot a large, dangerous animal.
• The Big Five quickly became known as the most dangerous
animals to hunt on foot, and the name stuck – although now
‘shooting’ is done through a camera lens
6. ROAR!!!!!
• The lion is arguably the most sought-after of the Big Five because it
is synonymous with an African safari. Charismatic, powerful and
beautiful, everybody wants to see the appropriately named 'King of
the Beasts'.
8. LARGE
• Perhaps it’s the African elephant that should be called ‘King of the Beasts’
– it is the world’s largest and heaviest land animal. Its ears alone measure
up to 2m x 1.2m (roughly the size of the surface area of a double bed)
and can weigh up to 20kg (44lb) each, while it can grow to a height of
more than 3m.
10. COLD STARE
• Don’t be fooled by the docile appearance of the Cape buffalo (also known as
the African buffalo). This mean, moody and magnificent animal is possibly
the most dangerous of the Big Five, especially if you are on foot.
12. SECOND LARGEST MAMMAL
• Your first impression will be of its bulk and size. And then you may
wonder how such a prehistoric-looking animal has existed for so
many millions of years. Although unfortunately, the brutality and
intensity of present-day poaching is a serious threat to the
continuing survival of the species.
14. SEXY AND DRAMATIC
• The one animal everybody wants to see – beautiful, charismatic, sexy and
dramatic – and also the most elusive. The leopard is a solitary animal (unless
mating, or a mother with cubs) and will, whether male or female, fiercely
defend its own hunting territory from other leopards.
