The must-see Safari animals - by travel authority Howard Hillman

The controversial Big 5 list

Hunter's vs. Hillman's Big 5 list of safari animals

The issue

Most seasoned safari-goers believe the traditional "Big 5" safari animal list is irrelevant and old hat. It celebrates the hunting and killing of safari animals (which is okay for necessary culling).

During my safaris, I showed my Big 5 list to fellow visitors. Nearly all agree that my camera over bullet approach makes more sense in today's world.

Hunter's vs.
Hillman's Big 5

Hunter's Big 5
It was created in the bygone days when people went to Africa to hunt rather than unobtrusively observe the animals. The Hunter's list defines the top 5 animals that visitors like Ernest Hemingway wanted to shoot and kill for trophies.

Hillman's Big 5
I began my list decades ago to spotlight the animals that safari-goers want to shoot with their cameras. My latest researched consensus:

While the Hunter's Big 5 list includes the buffalo, mine does not. It's replaced with the cheetah, which ranks higher with current safari-goers. Even the crocodile, giraffe and hippo rank higher than the buffalo (see next item).

Hillman's Big 10

I created a Big 10 list in fairness to deserving must-see safari animals that didn't quite make the Hillman Big 5 list.