In news- An international initiative called the New Big 5 project has announced the new Big 5 animals for wildlife photographers to pursue trophy photos of.
About the programme-
- The “Big 5” is a historical term used by trophy hunters in Africa to group the five most prized and dangerous animals to shoot and kill.
- This group consisted of the elephant, rhino, leopard, Cape buffalo, and lion.
- The “New Big 5” project is an attempt to reclaim the term for conservation purposes and is supported by over 250 prominent photographers, conservationists and wildlife charities.
- The elephant, lion, polar bear, gorilla and tiger, are announced as the new Big 5.
- British wildlife photographer Graeme Green organised the initiative in April 2020.
- The idea is “to create a New Big 5 of Wildlife Photography, rather than hunting,” (“Shooting with a camera, not a gun”).
- All are keystone species listed by the IUCN as either critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable.
- One of the hopes of the project is that it will further encourage photographic tourism globally.
Source: The Hindu
