The New Big 5

Book excerpt: The world’s wildlife is in crisis, and the next ten years are critical. The New Big 5 brings together more than 145 of the world’s greatest wildlife photographers, conservationists, and advocates in a mission to not only celebrate the natural beauty of the animal world, but to raise awareness of the crucial issues facing these magnificent creatures. Until recently, the Big Five referred to the five big-game animals that were most difficult for colonial hunters to shoot and kill. Wildlife photographer Graeme Green’s The New Big 5 Project set about to reclaim that gruesome, antiquated term by asking people around the world to vote on the five endangered animals they would most want to shoot—with a camera. More than fifty thousand people voted, and the New Big 5 list of Wildlife Photography was born. What are the New Big 5? Elephants Gorillas Tigers Lions Polar Bears With 226 stunning photos and informative essays from the world’s greatest wildlife advocates, this one-of-a-kind book inspires and raises awareness about the New Big 5, and our wildlife world. FEATURES MANY OTHER ENDANGERED SPECIES: An extensive chapter is devoted to endangered species, such as rhinos, cheetahs, lemurs, frogs, vultures, sharks, whales, and turtles. INCREDIBLE CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY: Majestic portraits, animals in their habitat, and examples of natural behavior from more than 145 renowned wildlife photographers, including Ami Vitale, Marsel van Oosten, Paul Nicklen, Steve McCurry, Karine Aigner, Brian Skerry, Lucas Bustamante, Beverly Joubert, Clement Kiragu, Thomas Mangelsen, Paul Hilton, Suzi Eszterhas, Sascha Fonseca, Cristina Mittermeier, Frans Lanting, Marina Cano, Gael R. Vande Weghe, Daisy Gilardini, Steve Winter, Qiang Zhang, Art Wolfe, Dhritiman Mukherjee, Will Burrard-Lucas, David Lloyd, Vicki Jauron, Sergey Gorshkov, and Thomas Vijayan. ENGAGING ESSAYS from leading conservationists, including Dr. Jane Goodall, Dr. Paula Kahumbu (Wildlife Direct), Dr. Tara Stoinski (CEO, Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund), Krista Wright (Executive Director, Polar Bears International), Dr. Anish Andheria (CEO, Wildlife Conservation Trust), Dr. Moreangels Mbizah (Executive Director, Wildlife Conservation Action), Dominique Gonçalves (Manager, Elephant Ecology Project at Gorongosa National Park), and Wes Sechrest (CEO, Re:wild). “I hope the photos in this The New Big 5 book will lead people into the wonderful worlds of these iconic species - elephants, polar bears, gorillas, tigers and lions - and encourage them to explore the lives of so many other fascinating creatures, many of which are also endangered. Then, perhaps, other people will become involved in helping to create a world where wildlife can flourish for future generations to enjoy. I believe we have a window of time during which we can start to heal some of the harm we have inflicted on the natural world and slow down the heating of the planet. But only if we get together and take action now.” - Dr. Jane Goodall