A new “Big 5”

The results are in: there’s a new Big 5 in town. More than 250 photographers (including Can Geo Photographer-in-Residence Daisy Gilardini), conservationists and wildlife charities around the world have decided to do away with the traditional Big 5 — which trophy hunters in Africa used to describe the five most prized and difficult animals to kill (lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and Cape buffalo) — and introduce the Big 5 of photography, to shoot with a camera. After more than 50,000 votes, the New Big 5 are: elephants, polar bears, gorillas, tigers and lions. The project aims not only to celebrate these iconic animals, but to raise awareness about the threats facing them, such as habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, poaching, illegal wildlife trade and climate change.