Africa’s Big Five (BIG 5)

The most dangerous and largest animals native to the African continent are defined as Africa’s Big Five. This term, coined by big game hunters, actually represents the five most challenging animals to hunt on foot.

During the safaris we undertook in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, I had the chance to see all of Africa’s Big Five. At the same time, I learned many things about these animals. Let’s get to know these beautiful five animals together.

Elephant

African elephants are the largest living beings on the mainland. Despite their size, they can beautifully camouflage themselves in wooded areas. Being herbivores, they eat grass, leaves, fruits, and vegetables. Only male elephants have tusks. While female elephants usually live in groups with their calves, male elephants live alone, separate from the family. The average lifespan is 60 years.

Whenever we saw elephants during the safari, we made sure to keep a certain distance, parked the car, and quietly observed their movements. Although there is usually no harm in groups of traveling elephants, it is necessary to be cautious with male elephants. During one safari, we encountered a very aggressive male elephant in mating season. After it started running towards our car, we quickly moved away. We were fortunate to escape, but we heard many stories of elephants overturning cars with their trunks and charging into safari groups.

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Buffalo

African buffalo, a large-horned buffalo species, is the only one among Africa’s Big Five that is not under threat. These nomadic creatures prefer large open spaces. They are usually encountered while they go for water in the morning after eating at night. They quickly get angry and do not hesitate to use their horns when they perceive something as a threat. The average lifespan is 25 years.

During our safari, the most commonly seen animals among the Big Five were elephants and buffaloes.

Lion

The most charismatic animal I’ve seen, a true super predator. They live in groups, and there are multiple female lions in the group, while there is only one male lion. All cubs in the group have the same male lion as their father. When there is a new male lion leader in the group, he usually kills all the cubs from the previous leader. Lions, with an average lifespan of 20 years, hunt animals such as gazelles, zebras, giraffes, buffaloes, and sometimes even elephants.

Unfortunately, the division of labor in the group is not very democratic. 🙂 Although the leader of the group is the male lion, feeding and hunting are the responsibilities of the female lion. After the female lion hunts and kills an animal, she waits for the male lion without taking a single bite. After the male lion eats the prey and fills its stomach, the females and cubs consume the leftovers.

I truly understood why we call the lion the king of the jungle when I saw it with my own eyes. During safaris, we saw both male and female lions with manes. When a lion is detected in an area, the forest comes to a standstill, all safari vehicles turn off their engines, and the lion’s movements are observed for hours. It is truly an impressive animal. Also, on our last day, we witnessed three female lions passing by us, and we breathlessly watched their passage.

Leopard

One of the rarest animals to be seen. It moves so fast and camouflages itself so well that seeing it is truly a stroke of luck. Shy and mysterious in demeanor, it usually operates at night, which is one of the reasons why it is rarely seen. After tracking its prey for a long time, the leopard attacks unexpectedly. Its enemies include lions, jackals, and wild dogs. They live an average of 20 years and have the widest habitat tolerance.

In the 6 game drives we did in total, we saw leopards at 3-4 different locations. The most interesting scene was when it climbed a tree with its prey, a gazelle, and ate its meal on top of the tree. A jackal below the tree was collecting the pieces that fell from above. Jackals and leopards are like an inseparable duo. Usually, when we saw a jackal somewhere, our eyes were always looking for a leopard feasting nearby.

Rhino

The animal we worked hardest to see among the Big Five. There are two different species of rhinos, black and white, and they have two straight horns on their nasal bridges. These two rhino species are distinguished by the square shape of the mouth of white rhinos. Unfortunately, rhinos are on the brink of extinction, especially white rhinos are under great threat.

Rhinos are the second heaviest animals living on the mainland. They usually spend their time in grassy, grassy, or muddy areas. Their average lifespan is 45 years, and they live in groups.

Rhinos are among the most hunted animals as poaching in recent times. We were able to reach the region where rhinos live by driving 2.5 hours within Kruger National Park. People in some Asian countries like China believe in absurd things, such as rhino horns being good for diseases. Unfortunately, this ridiculous belief is causing the beautiful animals to be killed. Therefore, to protect rhinos, the areas where they live are shared very carefully even among official safari drivers.

Africa’s Big Five: Tips & Notes & Conclusion

• Safari was definitely one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. Observing wildlife, feeling like you’re in the middle of a documentary, was perfect.
• You can check the details of our trip to Kruger National Park here.
• Although the most popular animals gather under the name Africa’s Big Five, there are really many beautiful animals in nature. If you go on a safari, my advice is to be happy with every creature you see and enjoy it without sticking to the Big Five.