Lion tales

[T I N O]

Lion Warfare: Majingilane vs New Males
There are a couple of words and phrases that the Londolozi rangers use on the radio that get my pulse – and I’m pretty sure the pulses of the rest of the team – racing. “Located”, “interaction” and “highly mobile” are three examples. Used individually, they set the imagination to work, wondering what it is that the other ranger calling it in is privileged enough to be witnessing.
So when ranger James Crookes used all three of the above to describe the 6 (yes, 6!!) male lions that he found a few mornings ago, I knew we were about to see something special.

*This image is copyright of its original author

One of the Majingilane lunges for the intruder male’s rear flank. This is the natural area for lions to attack each other since it is at the opposite end to the dangerous teeth and claws of their opponent.

Hurrying down the road to the clearing where James had found the lions, we rounded the final corner to be greeted by an incredibly dramatic sight of 3 big male lions, roaring their lungs out, chasing another 3 across the grassy plain. We were very close to our Southern boundary and at first were unsure as to the identity of any of these males. To be honest, I didn’t even care at first, I was simply speechless at the awe-inspiring sight of 6 males in line astern, all running fast with that typical lion gait, manes billowing in the wind as 3 of them ran for their lives while the other 3 chased to kill!

*This image is copyright of its original author

The by-now injured male roars defiance as Ranger Lucien Beaumont and Tracker James Siwela with their guests look on in the background. One can clearly see the underdeveloped mane of this male lion in these pictures. If you look carefully you can see the third Majingilane male on the right of the picture, making his way back towards the action.

As it turns out, the 3 doing the chasing were from the all-powerful Majingilane Coalition, while the other 3 that were fleeing were unknown to us. Reports of their presence and incursion from the Kruger National Park have been filtering in recently – two magnificent males with big manes and a third with an underdeveloped mane – often a sign of stress in older male lions.

Current dynamics aside, the underdeveloped maned lion made a grievous error in splitting off from his two brothers, swinging west as the other two fled south over our boundary onto safer territory, pursued by one of the Majingilane. The two remaining Majingilane stuck on the tail of the underdeveloped male, and it was these lions that we followed.
We struggled to keep up over rocky terrain and through dense bush, eventually losing sight of the 3 as they crossed a deep drainage line. Switching off our vehicles to listen, we could hear the sounds of bellowing and snarling from not far away; it seemed as if the underdeveloped male had been caught! We were forced to drive back around the drainage line to get to the scene of the conflict, but by that time it was almost over. The third Majingilane had returned to join his brothers, and the three of them lay in a triangle, in the middle of which was their vanquished foe, the gaping bite-marks and blood on his flanks and rump the clear evidence of the mauling he had just received.

*This image is copyright of its original author

Still with some fight left in him, the injured male charges up the termite mound, forcing a hasty retreat from one of his antagonists.

He was to lie there for the day, cowed and beaten and with the Majingilane watching over him, until chance and incredibly good fortune most probably saved his life. Early in the afternoon a herd of elephants caught the scent of the lions and came running in to chase them off. The Majingilane fled in one direction while the defeated male took his chance to make a dash for safety in the opposite direction, heading south to try and find his coalition-mates.
[i]

*This image is copyright of its original author

[/i]
Two of the Majingilane coalition roar their dominance from a termite mound overlooking their vanquished foe. Scent-marking and roaring, two actions that establish territory and dominance, are standard behavior after encounters like this.
[i][i]

*This image is copyright of its original author

[/i][/i]
Some of the injured male’s wounds can be seen here. Weakened by a severe mauling and with possible spinal injuries, he still managed to make good his escape a few hours later.

Will we see him or his brothers again? Time will tell, but one thing is clear for now; the strangle-hold that the Majingilane have over the central Sabi Sands is as strong as ever!

Extra pictures of the fight taken by Lucien Beaumont

[i][i][i][i]

*This image is copyright of its original author

[/i][/i][/i][/i]
One of the Majingilane Males who was involved in the fight (Hip-Scar)
[i][i][i][i][i]

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

[/i][/i][/i][/i][/i]

Written by James Tyrrell
Photographed by James Tyrrell and Lucien Beaumont
October 16,2012 Reply