There’s more to South African wildlife than just the ‘big five’, says Taffeta GrayAnyone who has been on safari in South Africa will boast that there is nothing like seeing the ‘Big Five’. Even if you are in the bush yourself, thrilled at having just spotted one of the great beasts, you’re bound to find someone who insists they’ve seen better. The trick is not to compete with the naturalist know-alls, but to outsmart them. And the way to do that is to swot up on lesser-known creatures, and stalk them instead. Here’s my alternative five.Meerkats The adverts on TV make out that meerkats come from Russia and have names like Aleksandr and Sergei. That’s rubbish, obviously. The only place you’ll find meerkats in their natural habitat is in the Kalahari desert and its surrounding basin (which spans Botswana, Namibia, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.
