(05-18-2018, 07:02 AM)T Rabbit Wrote: I think the tsalala sub adult was sighted in a very poor condition at djuma.

(05-18-2018, 05:38 AM)Agerceno Wrote: The screenshots are not the best quality because the lioness was moving, but it looks like one of the Nkuhuma Lionesses could be pregnant. Does anyone agree/disagree?

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(05-18-2018, 05:38 AM)Agerceno Wrote: it looks like one of the Nkuhuma Lionesses could be pregnant. Does anyone agree/disagree?

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(05-18-2018, 11:45 PM)Tshokwane Wrote: Credits to Kelly Oldaker - Lion Sands.

PHOTO SERIES: DISPUTE BETWEEN MATING LIONS:

On the morning game drive of 28 April, I witnessed a spirited scene involving four lions. I managed to capture the whole event on camera – a first for me. There is a lot going on in this scene, so I have laid it out in detail.


The males were the two that have been recently seen around Lion Sands ­– the Avoca males. They have been busy scent marking and roaring – signs that they might be claiming this area as their own. They were alongside the two Eyrefield females, who they have been mating with quite often in recent months – but there are no new cubs, that we know of, yet.

For the purpose of this story, let’s call the larger male ‘Lion 1’ and the smaller male ‘Lion 2,’ and the larger female ‘Lioness 1’ and the smaller female ‘Lioness 2’. So, Lioness 2 strolled over to Lion 2, lifted her tail, wiggled a bit, and trotted off. The technical term for females displaying to males like this is ‘lordosis’. He immediately got up and followed. She trotted further, he stopped, she circled back, he followed, she trotted off again, he stopped again. I actually felt kind of sorry for him! It was hot, and he was clearly making some effort.

Anyway, she ended up waiting for him, and they mated, around 40m from the vehicle. As is standard for mating lions, it is sometimes noisy, and the male often beats a hasty retreat for fear of getting a good, hard slap from the female. Like quite a few mammals, especially felines, the penis of a lion has backward-facing barbs on it, so it can be sore when he leaves the female, hence her aggression towards him. You can see the look on the poor guy’s face, knowing that she was not going to be pleased with his departure.

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Then everyone settled back down again, moving further apart and into the shade. Around 30 minutes later, just as we were about to leave, Lioness 2 got up again, and after spending a few moments having a think about her options, she decided to approach Lion 1. As she sauntered over, Lion 1 stood up to follow her. Lion 2 then also stood up. Lioness 1 was left sleeping peacefully around 50m away.


Lion 2 followed her again, as Lion 1 also made moves towards her. Lioness 1 then stood up and followed the three others. Lioness 2, the female who had initiated all of this, then made a swift exit, while both of the males started chastising the innocent bystander, Lioness 1. It all seemed a little bit unfair to me.

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I am not even going to try and guess what exactly was going on – it’s difficult to interpret from a human perspective. But there were certainly some very interesting dynamics at play here. The end result was everyone making peace again within about 10 minutes and lying back down. A wonderful sighting to remember. Let’s hope that the final result will be some little lion-shaped balls of fluff on the property soon…

(05-19-2018, 01:29 AM)swtlei4u Wrote: is it me but the northern boys look bigger then their older siblings

This isn’t the first time a group of lions has split from their natal pride and formed a new one. Nor will it be the last. Environmental conditions and pressures that are forever in flux mean that animals will constantly be deviating from the rule book.

Research of lion prides that have split shows that after two or three generations, when the genetic divergence between the prides is significant enough, the initial overlap of territories that most likely occurred after the split will cease, and the prides will be completely independent and isolated entities.

The Mhangeni and Ntsevu prides are a funny one. When the Ntsevu females were forced into independence once their mothers began reproducing again, they pushed east fairly quickly and ousted the much weaker Sparta pride. As a result, these six lionesses now control prime territory along the Sand River in Londolozi’s East and Mala Mala’s West.

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A Mhangeni lioness, far behind what are essentially enemy lines, moves through Ntsevu territory.

The Mhangeni females (mothers of Ntsevu females) meanwhile have pushed their second batch of offspring into independence and are mating once more. Things are slightly different now though, as their previous males, the Majingilane, are recently deceased, which leaves the Mhangeni lionesses with scant options when it comes to dominant males. The Matimba males have reportedly moved into the western sector of the Sabi Sand reserve, but my gut feeling is that they will want to stay far west, avoiding the threat of the four Birmingham males to their east.

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The Birmingham males have yet to lay claim to western Londolozi and effectively cover the Mhangeni pride, but one can’t help feeling that it is only a matter of time.

The Mhangeni pride, sitting on territory that essentially lies between the Birmingham males and the Matimbas’ new areas, have been forced to venture outside their usual patrol areas in order to pair up with males for mating purposes, and recently we have been seeing them coming east more and more.

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A Birmingham male mates with a Mhangeni lioness near the Londolozi airstrip, while ranger Rob Jeffery, tracker Judas Ngomane and their guests look on.

At the heart of Londolozi lies what has essentially been a lion-less void for the last year or so. Although various prides have moved through, there has been no mainstay group laying claim to the area, and it forms a sort of no man’s land between the Ntsevu and Mhangeni prides. With multiple females from both groups mating with the Birmingham coalition at the moment, and the Birmingham males roaming all over the show, moving regularly between different lionesses, a clash of some sort between the lionesses seems almost unavoidable.

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The rough Mhangeni pride territory is in purple, Ntsevu territory in red.

This leads us back to the first few points, with the key one revolving around the recognition between individuals of split prides. Just how violent would an altercation be between Mhangeni females and their daughters the Ntsevu lionesses? Would a clash over males be as serious as a clash over food? If there is nothing immediately at stake, would numbers have anything do with it (the Mhangeni pride is suspected of being down to three lionesses now, while the Ntsevu lionsees are still 6-strong). If one thinks a meeting-up would be without violence, let us not forget that the Mhangeni lionesses were suspected of killing the original Tailless female, who raised them from sub-adulthood into independence.

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After mating, this Mhangeni lioness continued to move back west, towards her pride’s normal territory.

Every lion question poses 10 other questions, which will each in turn spark 10 more.

All I know is with a whole host of mating pairs having been viewed over the last week or so, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to identify exactly who’s who amongst the females, and as incredible as it is to witness mating lions in the wild, we can’t afford to be jumping to conclusions when it comes to identification of individuals, as the current period is likely to be a major crossroads in the futures of both prides. And, most likely, in the genetic lineages of the males.

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(05-21-2018, 08:59 PM)Tshokwane Wrote: Credits to Savanna Private Game Reserve.

The Mhangene sub-adults have been learning how to survive without their mothers, as they have still not returned to the youngsters, and it definitely seems permanent now. It has been a tough time for the young lions as they continue to struggle to hunt the large prey that they need to survive. One of the young males died mid-way through the month from a lack of food.

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Two of the sub-adult females are still missing from the pride, although one is believed to be back with her mother. The other was seen with the Ximungwe pride earlier in the month. They were actually seen together ‘sharing’ a kill where the Ximungwe females  seemed  almost submissive or protective over the young Mhangene female. Have a look here at a video of the three fighting off some hyena at the kill! They spent five days together before the Ottawa pride chased all three out of the north.

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The nine sub-adults that remain together managed to kill a large female buffalo during the month. This was a great boost to the pride, as they were starting to look worse for wear. Watch the video here, but a warning that it is not for sensitive viewers.

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The young Ottawa male is growing quickly. With the death of all three Majingilane males over the past couple of months and no sign of larger males moving into the area yet, the young male has stepped into the dominant male role. Although still too young to take over the territory, if given the opportunity there, he will gladly take the easy way to the top.

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