National Parks: changing from the 'Big 5' to 'Big 6' animals

Early this year, Rwanda introduced 10 black rhinos from South Africa, making it the full ‘Big Five game animals’, a phrase coined to describe the five species of the African large size wild animals. These animals consist of the lion, the black rhinoceros, the elephant, the leopard, and the cape buffalo. However, the term ‘Big 5’ was actually coined by big game hunters who thought that these five African mammals were the most dangerous and most difficult to hunt. In other words, the five large African mammals were known to be dangerous and it was considered a feat by trophy hunters to bring them home. The members of the ‘Big 5’ were chosen for the difficulty in hunting them and the degree of danger involved, rather than their size. The term is used in most tourist and wildlife guides that discuss African wildlife safaris. In fact, seeing the Big Five is one of the most amazing experience on a safari.
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Fred Nkusi