Today, the term “Big Five” refers to the beauty and power of some of Africa’s most iconic animals. However, it has a much darker history. Trophy hunters in the 19th century considered ...

The 27,000-hectare Samara Karoo Reserve is home to a growing roll-call of iconic species and a varied habitat that features five of South Africa’s nine recognized biomes.

Since then, Lucas has taken a critical look at the rest of the big five. In a review published in 2021, he concluded that land-based tetrapods were barely affected by any of them.. “I think that ...