The "Big 5" of Lembeh

Colin Marshall · Issue 79, Jul/Aug 2014 · pp. 73–77

The African Big 5 are well known - Elephant, Lion, Buffalo, Leopard and Rhino. The term “Big 5” was coined long ago to refer to the animals most prized to hunt, due to the high degree of difficulty and danger in the hunting process. Things have changed since then. Today, the practice of being driven in an airconditioned 4x4 through the bush towards a GPS tagged trophy animal, to then shoot it from a safe distance with a high-powered, laser- sighted rifle (with an armed guide by your side in case things go wrong), is viewed with contempt by most. Happily, most shooting of the Big 5 today tends to be with cameras. It is debatable whether the criteria “difficult to hunt” is applicable today, or whether the Big 5 should be adjusted to reflect some combination of “difficult to spot” and “difficult to photograph”. Lembeh in North Sulawesi in Indonesia needs little introduction – generally ackn…