Meet the NEW BIG 5

Shooting with cameras rather than guns is the idea behind a new international initiative to promote the synergy between wildlife photography and conservation.

- Graeme Green

The Big Five is an old term used by colonial-era hunters in Africa for the most prized and dangerous animals to shoot and kill: elephant, rhino, leopard, Cape buffalo and lion.

I think there’s a better idea: to celebrate the animals we share the planet with via photography. That’s why I created the New Big 5 project, an international initiative to create a new ‘big five’ of wildlife photography, rather than hunting. Shooting with a camera, not a gun.

In 2019, before the pandemic hit, I started discussing the idea with photographers, conservationists and wildlife-lovers, including Jane Goodall, Chris Packham, Ami Vitale and Marsel van Oosten, all of whom have backed the project. We kickstarted it in April 2020. Over this difficult last year, it’s been great to see people around the world getting excited about this positive idea and voting on the New Big 5 website (newbig5.com) for the species they wanted to be included in this alternative concept.