“Five Shooter” | Lion - Index Finger

This poem featuring the “Lion” is part of a series of poems, “Five Shooter”, in support of the New Big 5 project, an international initiative to create a New Big 5 of wildlife, the Big 5 of wildlife photography, not hunting. Shooting with a camera, not a gun.

Background

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.

With wildlife around the world facing threats from things like habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, poaching, illegal wildlife trade, and climate change, British wildlife photographer Graeme Green decided to raise awareness of these issues by creating the New Big 5.

Since the project was founded in April 2020, over 250 prominent photographers, conservationists, and wildlife charities have begun supporting the initiative.

As the name of the project indicates, the goal is to reclaim the term “Big 5” as one that speaks of photographing the beauty of wildlife rather than killing the creatures.

The idea is “to create a New Big 5 of Wildlife Photography, rather than hunting,” the project states. “Shooting with a camera, not a gun.”

After a year-long vote by participants from around the world, the 5 animals that were selected are the elephant, polar bear, gorilla, tiger, and lion.

Each of these 5 species is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as Critically Endangered, Endangered, or Vulnerable.