The Big and Little Five On Safari

The Big and Little Five invites you to explore the fascinating dark continent of Africa. It's a fascinating world of intriguing and exotic flora, fauna, and people.

For decades hunters sought and shot the dangerous Big Five: Elephant, Cape Buffalo, Rhinoceros, Lion, and Leopard for trophies. These were the five most difficult mammals to hunt on foot. Today, thanks to conservationists, the Big Five are now being shot with cameras by people on safari hoping to bag all Five.

While on safaris in Africa, I'm fortunate to have observed and photographed all the Big Five.The Leopard was the most camera shy. With poaching and global warming, the Big Five is more elusive and endangered.

The Little Five are less obvious than their larger counterparts in South Africa. Few tourists
know about these elusive creatures. They include mammals, reptiles, insects, and birds. These smaller beings are namesakes of the dangerous Big Five: Elephant Shrew, Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver, Rhinoceros Beetle, Ant Lion, and Leopard Tortoise. Like the Big Five, these tiny creatures have survival problems due to the impact of climatic changes and humankind destroying their habitat and food source.

Both Fives have fascinating social behavior, means of communication, courtship, mating,
parenting, and survival tactics. It's difficult not to attribute human like qualities-anthropomorphism
while observing their behavior.

The Big Five, especially their courtship and mating behavior, are awesome and amusing. The
Little Five's response to their environment cause wonder and delight. Welcome to the excitement and outdoor classroom of safaris and the fascinating World of the Fives.

Dorothy Chang-Van Horn was born on the island of Kaua'i, Hawai'i. Island-bound, she grew up
with a wanderlust, curious about faraway places. The furthest she traveled as a child was by ship to O'ahu. As a teenager, she flew to O'ahu where she was the first Asian to board at Punahou High
School's Castle Hall.
The summer prior to her high school junior year, Dorothy joined her parents and brother on the SS Lurline, sailing from Honolulu to San Francisco. Scenes throughout the United States infected her with a lifelong itch for travel.
Dorothy left the confines of the islands departing for the University of Wisconsin, Madison. There she majored in Zoology and minored in Cultural Anthropology. She transferred to and graduated from USC with a BS in Biological Science and MS in Education K-14.
After four years of teaching biology for Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), Dorothy's yearn for traveling internationally was fulfilled. She flew to Japan to teach biology and counsel students at Johnson Air Force Base High School near Tokyo. During the three years overseas, Dorothy traveled extensively throughout Japan, joined fellow teachers for a tour of Manila, Bangkok, Singapore, and Hong Kong. She spent a Christmas vacation in India and welcomed the New Year with friends who hosted her in Bombay. She ended her solo vacation in Ceylon (Sri Lanka.)
Prior to returning to LAUSD, Dorothy joined her parents on a world tour beginning in India to Europe and the Middle East. After seeing the sights of England, she and her parents departed from Liverpool on the RMS Queen Elizabeth for the Statue of Liberty's welcome home.
Retiring after 35 years of teaching, Dorothy opened her travel agency affiliated with Big Five Tours and Expeditions. She's traveled to 180 countries, (third world countries-preferred), and seven continents, (Africa and Antarctica-favorites). Dorothy joined 21 safaris and escorted 7. Her favorite African countries are Uganda, for gorilla trekking; Botswana, especially for its Okavango Delta; Kenya and Tanzania, unique for their migrations; and South Africa, for its wild dogs and meerkats.
Dorothy's favorite pastimes: traveling solo, safaris, wine tasting, reading historical and mystery novels, experiencing different cuisines, and the companionship of her affectionate and faithful
dogs, Hoko and Chi Da.