WILDLIFE AT MALAMALA GAME RESERVE

"The Great One put the animals here for us to use wisely and respect, even as we hunted them, but he knew that without fear we might lose our respect for these creatures. So he put the five here to help us remember. The lion and leopard taught us fear of the night, that only the daytime was ours. The buffalo, the elephant and the rhino taught us to fear their strength, that we might respect the strength of nature."

Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Buffalo and Rhinoceros - the most sought after and dangerous of the world's big game. In previous centuries it was these five species which gripped the imagination of hunters and sportsmen, drawing them to Africa to experience the blood pounding thrill of hunting and shooting "The Big Five". It is in reserves like Mala Mala where this hunting and shooting still takes place, only the hunting is done by experienced rangers and Shangaan trackers, and the shooting is done with cameras. But it does not mean that the thrill and exhilaration of encountering these animals in an open Land Rover is any less gripping.