Why is the elephant, lion, leopard, rihno and buffalo considerded as the ''big 5'' in SA and not other animals

Answer 1

Well that's a good question and one commonly misunderstood.
The name Big 5 was not actually given to these animals by Safari staff/tour operators, but the term "big five" was actually coined by big game hunters . It refers to the difficulty in catching these large animals, mostly due to their ferocity when cornered and shot at.

So as you can see, it is not a term relating to size (hence why the hippo or the giraffe are not on the list) but instead relating to their difficulty in being hunted.

A few facts for you.

the buffalo is the most dangerous of the Big Five, reportedly causing the most hunter deaths.

Leopards are the most difficult to acquire hunting licenses for and are often difficult to hunt due to their behavior and their nocturnal feeding habits.

Hopefully this helps explain why these 2, often considered odd choices in the Big 5, are indeed included.

Answer 2

Actually, in my african experience, I've noticed that the tourism industry (in south africa) are billing the Big 7. This includes the great white shark and some sort of whale (I forget which one). These extra two are purely tourism drivin. Not like the hunting origins of the big 5

Answer 3

these were the animals most hunted for 'bounty'

ie for horns, skins, skulls, ivory etc.

Answer 4

2 points thank you