South Africa is officially adding the whale and the shark to the iconic Big Five group; turning it into the Big Seven.
Environmental Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica said the department had decided to add the two ocean predators to the current Big Five.
“We will be marketing these animals – sharks and whales – to the whole world, said Sonjica. It will have a significant impact on tourism. […] We will become the only country in the world to boast a Big Seven.”
The Big Five are the lion, leopard, (African) elephant, Cape buffalo, and rhinoceros (both species). The term was coined by big game hunters who used it to refer to the five most difficult African animals to hunt on foot.
And yes, hunting large sharks and whales on foot is indeed quite difficult.