For many people, visiting South African game reserves is all about ticking off the 'Big Five'. But what about those animals you've got almost zero chance of seeing? Justin Fox goes in search of South Africa's most elusive animals – the 'Impossible Five' – the Cape mountain leopard, aardvark, pangolin, naturally occurring white lion and the riverine rabbit. Besides the animals, The Impossible Five is peopled with an immensely likeable cast of characters and provides compelling insights into wild South Africa and the local game-ranging and natural-science industries.
Travel writer, novelist and photographer Justin Fox was editor of Getaway International magazine. Fox was a Rhodes Scholar and received a doctorate in English from Brasenose College, Oxford University. He was a research fellow at the University of Cape Town, where he now teaches part time. Fox's writing and photographs have been published worldwide and he is the author of over a dozen books. He is a two-time Mondi journalism award winner and his articles have appeared internationally in a wide range of publications, while his short stories and poems have been published in various anthologies. His book Whoever Fears the Sea was longlisted for the 2014 Etisalat Prize and The Marginal Safari was longlisted for the 2011 Alan Paton and 2012 Olive Schreiner awards.