LaSalle Resident Shoots the Big Five animals in Kenya

The African Big Five animals have always been sought after by hunters as being the five animals in Africa that are the most dangerous to hunt. The lion, water buffalo, African elephant, leopard, and the rhinoceros make up the group, and while the lion the elephant and the water buffalo can be found in large numbers the leopard and the rhino have become increasingly rare.

In Kenya for a honeymoon safari with my new wife Michèle we made it our goal to see all five of the animals. As an aspiring wildlife photographer I had packed the biggest camera lens I could afford to rent and we were determined not to give up until we had gotten photos of the Big Five.

The leopard was the fourth animal we found. We found a large male lying on the side of a red dirt road in Tsavo West National Park. As we drove up in our van he barely even looked up at us, content to stretch out and enjoy the setting sun as if we were not even there.

The rhinoceros was a little bit more complicated. There are two types of rhinoceros in Africa, the white and the black rhinoceros. The white rhinoceros are classified as a vulnerable species and the black rhinoceros are endangered. We drove to the Ngulia Rhinoceros Sanctuary near West Tsavo National Park without high expectations. The Ngulia Sanctuary houses approximately 40 of the endangered black rhinoceros in a 70 kilometre square area. With a small number of the extremely shy animals in a fairly large area, sightings are rare.

We drove for a couple hours, looking through the thick bush for the slightest sign of the rhinoceros without seeing a trace. Finally, with the sun setting and the temperature dropping we stopped the van next to a water hole and waited. It was our last chance at seeing the animal before finishing the safari the next morning and driving on to the city of Mombasa.

Finally, as we were ready to give up all hope, the guide called out below us. “Here he comes.” From out of the bush on the other side of the watering hole came walking a pre-historic looking black rhinoceros, bigger than I had been expecting and walking slowly, scared of the unusual smell of human and vehicle in the air.

I balanced my camera the best I could on the edge of the vehicle, setting the camera to use as much of the light as I could, and then “click” I had bagged my big five.