Guest post for Sleuth on Safari by A.R. Kennedy

The Big Five

When I sent my editor Sleuth on Safari, I was surprised when she asked me what the ‘Big Five’ was. I don’t remember not knowing what the Big Five was. Like Naomi, the main character of The Traveler Cozy Mystery series, I had dreamed of going on a safari for years.

The Big Five are:

African
Elephant Lion
Cape Buffalo
Leopard
Rhinoceros

These five are considered the most popular of Africa’s wildlife. I was fortunate to see all five on my safari.

Prior to our first game drive, we were given a booklet to keep track of all of our animal sightings. I only had the Big Five on my mind,. But, I also wanted to see a zebra and giraffe. On my trip, I did see one zebra. Who knew the black and white animals would be the hardest for us to find in our twice daily game drives?

The booklet listed a diversity of animals, including birds and snakes. Many of the animals we did not see. (To be honest, I’m glad about the snakes.) Many of the animals I had never heard of.

I’m pleased our book (which I still have) got lots of checkmarks. Impalas, kudus, warthogs, monkeys, hippos and so many more were seen by me and my fellow travelers.

My trip was, to date, the best vacation I’ve ever taken. I was lucky to be put in the same vehicle as a lovely couple, Abigail and Jason. Jason was a wonderful photographer and took loads of great shots of the wildlife. Abigail kept our booklet up to date on all the animals we saw.