Big Five game

Elephant

The African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the largest extant land-based animal. The only other extant elephant native to Africa is the critically endangered African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis), which is the smallest of the three elephant species. Elephants are herbivores with thick, almost hairless skin; a long, flexible, prehensile trunk; upper incisors forming long, curved, ivory tusks; and large, fan-shaped ears. Elephants are difficult to hunt because, despite their large size, they are able to hide in thick bush and are more likely to charge than the other Big Five game animals. They become aggressive when their young are threatened.^[9]

Rhinoceros

The black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) and the white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) are large herbivores with two upright horns on their nasal bridge. The black rhino is classified as critically endangered and the white rhino as near threatened, and both are subject to extensive poaching. Among big-five game hunters, the black rhinoceros is more highly prized.^[10] The current existing rhinos throughout the savanna are southern white rhinoceros, eastern black rhinoceros, south-western black rhinoceros and south-central black rhinoceros.

African buffalo

The African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a large horned bovid. It is the only animal among the Big Five that is not on the "endangered" or "threatened" list.^[11] The Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer caffer) is considered by many to be the most dangerous of any of the Big Five:^[12] buffalos have reportedly been known to ambush and attack humans.^[13]

Lion

The lion (Panthera leo) is a large, carnivorous feline found in both Africa and northwestern India. It has a short, tawny coat; a tufted tail; and, in the male, a heavy mane around the neck and shoulders. As a large and charismatic apex predator with cultural significance, lions are among the most popular species to view on safari tours.^[14][15][16]

Leopard

The leopard (Panthera pardus) is a large, carnivorous feline which like the lion is found not just in Africa but also India (as well as the rest of Asia). Its fur is generally tawny with dark rosette-shaped markings. The leopard is the most seldom seen of the Big Five because of its nocturnal habits (it is most active between sunset and sunrise, although it may hunt during the day in some areas), and because it is wary of humans and will take flight in the face of danger. Leopards can be located in the grasslands, dense brushes, deserts, and forested areas of African savannas.

Elephants

Historically, African elephants have been hunted and killed for two main reasons, sports and their ivory (tusks). The hunting of elephants began with European explorers and colonial hunters in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with the rise in popularity of Big game hunting in Africa.^[18] Luxury items such as carved objects or piano keys were made from ivory taken from elephant tusks and were sold at a high price in an international market, which increased the hunting pressure on elephants.^[18]

During the 20th century, there was further decrease of elephant populations due to the combination of legal hunting of elephants as well as the illegal poaching for their ivory.^[19] Studies have demonstrated that elephant populations and behaviours are affected by poaching, for example, it has been shown that when elephants perceive hunting pressure they may alter their migratory patterns.^[19]

Rhinoceros

The rhinoceros was once very abundant across the African continent, with populations of around 500 000 animals in the early twentieth century.^[20] During expeditions to Southern Africa in the 1830s, large numbers of black rhinoceros were reported, though those expeditions often included hunting the animals as game. ^[20] Concern over their declining numbers emerged early on, as officials in Kenya were already alarmed by large scale poaching by 1906. By 1932, extinction was considered a serious possibility, with observers reporting that rhinoceros were being killed faster than they could reproduce. By the 1960s, very few numbers of black rhinoceros remained south of the Rivers Zambezi and Kunene.^[20] In 2011, the Western black rhinoceros was declared extinct by the IUCN, with poaching being the primary cause.^[21]

Beyond trophy hunting, rhinoceros have been targeted by poachers due to the high value placed on their horn. The market price has risen from $550 per kilogram in 1979 to $60,000 per kilogram today. Poaching is also driven by illegal trade supplying some Asian Markets, where rhinoceros horn is valued for its perceived medicinal properties.^[20] Legal hunting of black and white rhinoceros happens on a small regulated scale in South Africa and Namibia. From the first regulated hunt in 1972 through 2018, 2,538 white rhinoceros were hunted in South Africa and 61 in Namibia. From 2005 to 2018, 47 black rhinoceros were hunted in South Africa and 12 in Namibia. By contrast, 6,087 rhinoceros were recorded as poached in South Africa and Namibia from 2013 to 2017, compared to 423 legally hunted rhinoceros over the same period.^[22]

African Buffalo

In the early 1800s, hunting of valuable game like buffalo in many African countries was tightly controlled by the Indigenous tribes in the area, and these groups imposed strict regulations on visitors in their territory.^[23] Leaders and ruling families of these groups were responsible for hunting management and ensuring conservation of commonly hunted animals to prevent population collapse. With the creation of colonies in Africa, foreign countries took over conservation and hunting management, and settles began to hunt the local animals more aggressively.^[23] Settlers also expanded the agriculture and livestock industries in African countries, which led to large areas of land being used for farming and the spread of more zoonotic diseases. One example of this is Rinderpest, or cattle plague, one of the most dangerous diseases for cattle, which killed entire herds throughout many European countries in the 1800s. ^[24] A Rinderpest outbreak in the 1880s in Africa decimated buffalo populations, and it was thought that the disease was brought to the continent through imported cattle from Europe.^[24]

Traditionally, buffalo were not thought to be necessary of protection or conservation because they were so common. However in the late 1800s, hunters started to realize the effects of uncontrolled hunting, and this led to the creation of the first African hunting reserve^[23] For example, Selous Game Reserve was first created in 1896 to preserve the hunting populations of local animals, and was eventually expanded and turned into a reserve sanctuary where hunting quotas are strictly enforced.^[25] It now houses the biggest population of African buffalo in the world.^[25]