The Big 5
The Lion
"King of the jungle"
Weight:
420 lbs
Speed:
Kill:
Wildebeest, zebras and anything that breaths.
Quantity
Avg. 5-10 in a pack for a region.
The Lion's Might
No one forgets the jaw dropping moment of seeing a lion for the first time. They may be the Kings of the Jungle, but they are also the laziest of the big cats. They rest for up to 22 hours per day, leaving them with just a few remaining hours to hunt all they can.
African Lions have no natural predators. Rather, they can leap up to 36 feet, and can open their mouths wider than a human head, earning them their spot at the top of the food chain. To add to their intimidation, their roars can be heard for 5 miles, while they can hear their prey coming from a mile away.
1904
1956
2002
While retrieving water one night, a Kruger National Park ranger, Harry Wolhulter, found himself at the mercy of two lions. Armed with just a pocket knife, he managed to survive this encounter, and made his escape up a tree where he waited with lions below for his companions to rescue him.
George Adamson was a hunter in Kenya. After years of hunting lions across the Kenyan scapes, George Adamson realized the folly of his ways, and in 1956, became “Baba Ya Simba” (Father Of The Lions) after raising an orphaned cub, Elsa, and dedicating his life to conservation.
Cecil’s curiosity of the crowd made him the great entertainer of safaris, capturing the hearts of all those who witnessed his prowess. He brought many tourists to Zimbabwe’s famous Hwange National Park and became a case study for researchers from Oxford University. Sadly, his tragic killing sparked the largest global response to a wildlife story ever.
The Elephant
"Dumbo"
Weight:
13,000 lbs
Speed:
25 mph (but practically 3 mph)
Kill:
Elephants are a vegan loving species... unless you agitate their babies.
Quantity
Elephants travel in herds of up to 70 members strong. However, sadly, when a member reaches an age too old to keep up, he is left to roam the country side in solitude.
An Elephant's Love
Their brains are triple the size of a humans, but elephants seem to have one thing on their mind– Food. Elephants consume nearly 400 pounds of food per day, weighing them in at as much as four Porsche 911 Turbos. Nothing can make one feel quite so awestruck as standing in front of the world’s largest mammal.
Despite their size, these gentle giants are highly intelligent, and bond with one another. They can be seen greeting former companions, forming relationships, and even grieving the loss of a loved one.
801
1255
1860
Upon request of Harun al-Rashid the caliph of Baghdad, Isaac, a Jewish diplomat, escorted an elephant named Abdul-Abbas, on the treacherous journey from Egypt to Genoa. The hope was a show friendship between Baghdad and Emperor Charlemagne, Father of the Holy Roman Empire. Charlemagne would go on to bring his elephant to on his campaign against the Saxons, however, Abdul steered clear of the fighting.
King Henry III received many large animals as gifts, including a Polar Bear, in shows of diplomacy. His grandest gift was an African elephant from France’s Louis IX. Henry quickly dispatched a team to build, “one house of forty feet long and twenty feet deep, for our elephant.” The renovation of permanence in the great story that is the Tower of London.
The star of P.T. Barnum’s Circus was an animal America had never seen before, Jumbo the Elephant. Over the years, 20 million people rushed to witness Jumbo’s magnificence, as his name became a synonym for large, enormous, and now, jumbo. However, his story doesn’t end there, in 1884, the skepticism for a bridge as large as the Brooklyn Bridge was dispelled as Jumbo along with a crew of fellow elephants crossed from Brooklyn to Manhattan.
The Leopard
"The Camouflage Beauty"
Weight:
68–159 lb
Speed:
36 mph
Kill:
Although small, the master of camouflage hunt animals, like the Giant Eland, which are 10x their size. Proving the theory size doesn't matter.
Quantity
The Leopard will hunt alone, bringing food back to their cubs. Making them hardest of the Big 5 to find.
Leopard Learning
They may look like kittens, but these small, speedy animals can be seen dragging their prey up a tree for lunch. Leopards also are known to be the least picky eaters, consuming anything they can get their paws on. From deer to young giraffes, anything will satisfy these cats.
Newborn leopards are highly dependent on their mothers for nearly two years. They are born without eyesight and depend fully on their mothers for nourishment until they learn how to forage and hunt for themselves.
1235
1956
1999
Henry III was delighted to be presented with three leopards by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, which set off a shopping spree of wild animals for the Tower of London. However, The Tower of London was not built to be a zoo, which resulted in exotic animals roaming around the grounds, and even from time to time through London itself. Over time, the leopards got company, including a polar bear, baboons, and even alligators.
George Adamson was a hunter in Kenya. After years of hunting lions across the Kenyan scapes, George Adamson realized the folly of his ways, and in 1956, became “Baba Ya Simba” (Father Of The Lions) after raising an orphaned cub, Elsa, and dedicating his life to conservation.
Few people on this Earth walk around with as much protection as ex-Prince Harry. However, while on vacation in Botswana, a leopard leapt in front of him, and while the crew attempted to hold Harry back, he broke free and calmly meandered toward the cat. He described the interaction as peaceful and interpreted it as a sign from his mother, Princess Diana, that everything in life would be okay.
The Rhino
"Please don't take my horn"
Weight:
7,920 lbs
Speed:
31mph
Kill:
Another of the grass eaters, which will happily rip you in half with one charge if need be. These majestic animals could run through a defensive line like a knife through butter!
Quantity
Just 100 years ago there were an estimated 500,000+ rhinos enjoying the lavish terranes of Africa. However, due to the atrocities of proaching, today their are less than 26,000 left. Making the species one, which if we do not do anything, our children may only know from the history books.
Rhinoceros Philosophis
Humans aren’t the only ones who enjoy a bit of self care. Rhinos spend roughly a quarter of their days in mud baths, moisturizing, cooling off, and preparing for their journeys. Additionally, similar to humans, they only have time for one friend– Birds. Though they prefer alone time, rhinos have a symbiotic friendship with birds. Rhinos have poor eyesight, but birds will sit on their backs and call out warning signs when they see predators approaching. As a parting gesture, the birds eat insects off of them, and get a free ride.
These massive animals look intimidating, but they get spooked easily and will charge at anything that frightens them. And as the smallest rhino is still as large as a U-haul, it is a true spectacle to see one start to run.
1514
1741
1955
In perhaps the largest regift of all time, viceroy of Portuguese India, Afonso de Albuquerque, sent ambassadors to the ruler of Cambay, to seek permission to build a fort on the island of Diu. While this request was denied, and no agreement was reached, he was given a rhinoceros as compensation for denying him the right to build a fort. Lost as to how to care for a rhino, he thought it an apt gift for his sovereign, the King of Portugal.
Although rhinos had been known to few Kings and Queens over the centuries, Europeans were convinced the rhinoceros was a mythical beast. They were awestruck when Clara, a rhino touring with Captain Van der Meer arrived in Europe, and captured their hearts with her gentle nature. For 17 years, Clara traveled the continent, debunking the theory that these creatures were just folklore.
With a crust of bread balanced on his head, Salvador Dali spent an afternoon painting inside the rhinoceros enclosure of Vincennes Zoo in Paris, depicting the moments where he attempted to provoke a rhino into destroying another piece of art. He developed his fascination with rhinoceroses when he was just nine years old, and once declared, “The rhinoceros is the only animal that carries an incredible amount of cosmic knowledge within its armor ”.
The Buffalo
"I'm not a cow"
Weight:
2,000 lbs
Speed:
35 mph
Kill:
With vegan diet that can kill a lion. These beasts are a kind creature until you threaten their child... then it's all on for young and old!
Quantity
A herd charging directly at you could be anywhere from 50 to 2,000 strong, so we would suggest avoid charging packs at all costs.
Buffalo bio
“The Black Death” is a chilling nickname for an animal. While they may resemble cows, their temperament differs immensely. Their powerful nature allows them to charge and trample almost any animal they encounter.
While they may be unpredictable, they are very social creatures, living in packs of up to 2000. They are even known to sleep with their heads resting on one another. The sight of 2000 of these powerful creatures together is more than striking. And if you are lucky, you may prove the myth that the Greeks founded democracy to be incorrect, as Buffalo herds have been known to vote which way they travel next.
1879
1960
2020
The “horns of the bull” was a formation famously used by Zulu to hunt big game animals, but during the Anglo-Zulu war, they adapted this formation for humans. Each division represented a part of the Buffalo; the chest, two horns and the loins. By first luring their enemy in with the head, they used the horns to encircle them, and attack with the loins.
“Let’s Go Buffalo” can be heard ringing from the stands as the most loyal fans cry out for a team that has never accomplished much of anything. In the middle of the previous century, the town of Buffalo was searching for the perfect symbol of their American football team. After a long beer discussion, one man realized their symbol was in their name all along. Thus, forming a team with few wins to celebrate, but one that has become a tribute to an animal, and a town shaken by nothing.
Hunting one evening, Rob Martin, came face to face with the 2,000 lb beast whose head is thicker than a tank. Realizing imminent danger, Rob lifted his rifle and hit the nyati (buffalo) square in the chest. “This was not the way it was supposed to happen… nyati was supposed to go down. He didn’t even flinch!”. The nyati simply trotted off with his buddies and a bullet hole the size of a dinner plate - reminding us all, beware of the buffalo.