Recasting the Big 5

People are often surprised to discover that polar bears are classified as marine mammals, thanks to their spending most of their lives on the Arctic Ocean’s sea ice. As such, they’re naturally excellent swimmers, with paws measuring up to 30cm across, useful too for padding around on ice and snow. They can cover vast ranges of more than 600,000 sq km in countries including Canada, Norway, Greenland and Russia.

Scientists estimate the global polar bear population is around 23,315 bears. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the animal as ‘Vulnerable’, with an estimated decline of 40% in some populations, such as the one from the Southern Beaufort Sea at North America’s north-western tip.

The greatest threat to polar bears’ survival is the climate change-caused loss of sea ice, which they rely on to hunt, travel, breed and raise their young. Polar bears are also hunted for their fur, which is often sold to markets in Asia. Industrial activity, including oil drilling, also causes disturbances to dens, reducing cubs’ chances of survival.

Krista Wright, Executive Director, Polar Bears International

“I’m so excited polar bears are part of The New Big 5. They’re keenly intelligent and endlessly fascinating to photograph and watch – mothers snuggle with cubs, big males play-wrestle in the snow, and curious youngsters play with kelp along the shore. No two viewings are the same.

“I’m also drawn to polar bears because they are such a powerful symbol of sea ice loss from global climate warming and a poignant messenger on the urgent need to act. If we do not act swiftly, not only do we face a future without polar bears but climate impacts will threaten our most basic needs for survival such as clean air, clean water and food availability. What affects polar bears, affects us all.”

Did you know?

Polar bears’ fur isn’t actually white. Each shaft of hair is pigment-free and transparent, with a hollow core that scatters and reflects visible light, in much the same way that ice and snow do, which makes their hair appear white to the human eye.

Best places to see polar bears

Churchill, Manitoba, in Canada is renowned as the ‘polar bear capital of the world’ as it’s in middle of the migratory route of the Western Hudson Bay polar bear sub-population. Wexas Travel’s week-long tailor-made Polar Bears of Churchill trip includes three nights at the Tundra Inn in Churchill, where unique tundra buggies get guests close to the Arctic wanderers; from £4,775pp; wexas.com.

Spitsbergen, in Norway’s Svalbard region, is one of the world’s most-likely destinations to observe the world’s largest carnivores in their natural habitat, as well as other Arctic wildlife, from whales to reindeer. Intrepid Travel’s 14-day Spitsbergen in Depth costs from £9,400pp; intrepidtravel.com

For something even more remote, head to Wrangel Island, off the far-eastern coast of Russia, the world’s ‘maternity ward for polar bears’. Heritage Expeditions’ 15-day Across the Top of the World: Wrangel Island expedition cruise also has the potential to uncover Pacific walruses and grey whales. From US$9,350pp (£6,879); heritage-expeditions.com

PHOTO TIP – 'Be prepared for the cold'

Of all the big cats, the tiger is the closest to extinction, listed globally as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species. There are only around 3,900 left in the wild globally but an estimated 20,000 tigers in captivity globally, many of them in Tiger King-style zoos and ‘sanctuaries’. This removal has a broader knock-on effect: tigers maintain the balance of predator and prey, helping to preserve an ecosystem’s delicate equilibrium.

The illegal wildlife trade in tiger bones, skins and other products, used for medicine or decorations in China, Vietnam and other parts of Asia, continues to fuel the rapid decline. Habitat destruction and human-wildlife conflict also add to the crisis.

In India, numbers are stable, but wild tigers have been largely wiped out in Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and China; the Malayan (150-200 left) and Sumatran (300-370) sub-species are listed as ‘Critically Endangered’. There are thought to be around 175 tigers roaming in Thailand; in contrast, that country has an estimated 2,500 in captivity.

Poonam Dhanwatey
Co-Founder and Trustee, Tiger Research and Conservation Trust (TRACT)

“I love wild cats, so I am delighted tigers have made it into The New Big 5. Tigers are a very interesting subjects for photographers, with their golden hues in the sun and their extreme range of expressions that they display, from playfulness with the cubs to being the ultimate predator.

“Unfortunately, there are barely 3,900 tigers left in the wild. They face many threats, from poaching for their skins and bones, from fragmentation of habitat and from human-wildlife conflict. It’s an absolute tragedy that these creatures are endangered. This is the time to work across boundaries and across landscapes to save them.”

Did you know?

Tigers are equipped with soft toe pads, enabling them to walk silently through the forest, which makes them stealthy and effective hunters. A tiger often travels up to 20km a night for hunting. One meal, such as a large deer, can provide enough food for a week.

Best places to see tigers

Debate rages as to the best place to see tigers in India. Bamboo Travel’s 13-day On The Tiger’s Trail tour includes the renowned national parks of Bandhavgarh and Kanha (setting of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book)as well as the quieter Panna National Park and nearby Khajuraho temple complex, from £3,290pp; bambootravel.co.uk

Founded in 1934, Periyar National Park was declared a tiger sanctuary in 1978 and still has one of the highest concentrations of this big cat. Hayes & Jarvis seek out tigers here as part of their 10-day Kerala, South India trip, from £2,099pp; hayesandjarvis.co.uk

Though more elusive, tigers can also be seen in Nepal’s national parks, such as Bardia and Chitwan. Transindus’ 12-day Wildlife of Nepal experience takes in both, from £3,355pp.
transindus.co.uk

For a remote adventure, track Siberian tigers and the elusive Amur Leopard on a snow-covered safari in Russia’s Durminskoye Reserve. Responsible Travel’s 10-day Siberian Tiger & Amur Leopard Tours In Russia costs from £2,995; responsibletravel.com

PHOTO TIP – 'Be patient'

Elephants are the largest living land mammals on Earth. Intelligent and emotional animals, they’ve even been known to mourn the deaths of other elephants.
However, there are only an estimated 447,500 left on the planet, including 415,000 African elephants (down from 1.2 million in the 1970s) and 30,000-35,000 Asian elephants. You can tell the two species apart from the fact that African elephants have bigger ears and rounder heads than the twin-domed headed Asian elephants, and are often much larger too.

For the first time, the IUCN recently listed the African forest elephant as ‘Critically Endangered’ and the slightly larger African savanna elephant (or African bush elephant) as ‘Endangered’, following dramatic population declines over several decades. An estimated 55 African elephants per day are still being killed by poachers, with habitat loss the other big factor.

The total number of Sumatran elephants – one of the three sub-species of the Asian Elephant – is estimated to be around 1,400, with potentially only 10 years to save them.

Iain Douglas-Hamilton
Founder, Save The Elephants

“Elephants face severe threats to their existence. It’s vital to get rid of the demand for ivory. We need to stop the killing, stop the trafficking and decrease the demand for ivory. Habitat loss is another serious challenge, linked to human-wildlife conflict, in which elephants are often killed or injured. We need to preserve wild spaces and corridors where elephants can roam freely and safely. Africa’s elephants are still endangered and their future is far from assured. They could be lost in a human lifetime unless humanity cares enough to prevent this from happening.”

Did you know?

Elephants are ‘ecosystem engineers’ that perform vital jobs to modify landscapes and allow biodiversity to flourish, including spreading seeds to plant more trees via their dung. Elephants can deposit upwards of 150kg of dung daily.

Best places to see elephants

Amboseli National Park, Kenya, already one of the best places in the world to view elephants, is enjoying a calving boom, with just over 226 elephant calves born in 2020. Yellow Zebra Safaris have a tailor-made 7-day multi-destination safari that includes Amboseli and the Maasai Mara from £3,694pp, staying in two Elewana camps; yellowzebrasafaris.com

Chobe National Park in north-west Botswana is home to the largest elephant population in the world, with more than 100,000 Kalahari elephants. Llama Travel have a 14-day Delta Mobile Safari & Victoria Falls multi-destination trip that costs from £3,749pp; llamatravel.com

Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe is also famous for their local giants, who lumber alongside endangered African wild dogs and other wildlife. Natural World Safaris take in Hwange on their 8-day Victoria Falls And Hwange Painted Dog Safari trip; from £3,060pp; naturalworldsafaris.com

Outside of Africa, Sri Lanka’s Udawalawe National Park is home to some of Asia’s largest elephants, as well as a ‘transit home’ that rehabilitates orphans and injured elephants and releases them back into the wild. Selective Asia’s 14-day An Insider’s Sri Lanka adventure spends time in Udawalawe; from £2,447; selectiveasia.com

PHOTO TIP – 'Get low'