Voting has opened for the New Big 5 project, an international initiative to create a New Big 5 (#NewBig5) of wildlife: the Big 5 of photography, not hunting.
The initiative is supported by more than 100 of the world’s leading photographers, conservationists and wildlife lovers, including Dr Jane Goodall, Ami Vitale, Moby, Steve McCurry, Brent Stirton, Bertie Gregory, Steve Winter, Greg du Toit, Thomas D Mangelsen, Djimon Hounsou, Nick Brandt, Steve Winter, Ben Fogle, Joanna Lumley, Tim Laman, Art Wolfe, Xi Zhinong, Daisy Gilardini, Sandesh Kadur…, and wildlife charities such as Save The Elephants, WWF, Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, African Wildlife Foundation, IUCN, Conservation International, Orangutan Foundation, Polar Bears International, HAkA and Greenpeace. It aims to create a ‘Big 5’ list of animals to photograph, replacing the old big 5, which was based on the 5 toughest animals in Africa for colonial hunters to shoot and kill.
The New Big 5 of Wildlife Photography is looking for nominations of animals from all over the world, not just Africa, so it could include polar bears, orangutans, tigers, grizzly bears, gorillas, lions, elephants, wolves, kangaroos, koalas, squirrels or others. The aim of the project is to focus attention on the world’s incredible wildlife and the urgent need to act globally to save these animals, our planet and ourselves.
On the New Big 5 website, there are Podcasts and Interviews, as well as Articles on wildlife issues, from habitat loss and the illegal wildlife trade to the impacts of COVID-19. Also available is a FREE educational Fun Pack for young people, which can be downloaded from the website. It contains quizzes, challenges, jokes from comedians (Russell Kane, Milton Jones, Seann Walsh…) and photos by Thomas D Mangelsen and Shannon Wild. The project will run for 6 months. The results will be announced later in 2020.
