• The Mountain Pride has been seen a few times this last month. We seem to be missing one lioness. At present there are four youngsters, six lionesses and one sub-adult male. This pride has mainly been moving in the central-northern reaches of the concession. Towards the middle of the month this pride managed to kill and feed on a Cape buffalo. 
• We have been seeing the Shish Pride regularly this month. During the summer months we did not have many sightings of them as they moved out and to the south-west of the concession. During the drier months Shish Pride tend to like the area between the camp and Dumbana Pools, close to the N’wanetsi River. They have returned to this area again. They are often seen in the company of the Kumana Male. For a period this last month this pride was in the area of Ostrich Open Areas, where they took advantage of the lack of concentration of the male impalas, who were pre-occupied with the rut. A few of these male impalas ended up in the bellies of these lions. Shish Pride presently consist of five adult females and four youngsters. One of the lionesses has a damaged back leg and is limping, but still managing to keep up with the rest of the pride.
• The Mananga Pride have been seen a few times this month, mainly in the far western side of the concession, north of Gudzani Dam. They have, on occasion, been seen with Xihamham (one of the Shish Males). One of the Mananga lionesses has two small cubs. 
• At the beginning of the month we saw the pride from the north. They were in the far northern reaches of the concession and were seen in the company of one of the Shish Males.
• The Kumana Male has been seen regularly in the area near the lodges. He is often seen in the company of the Shish Pride and was seen mating with one of the lionesses this month. May was a difficult month for the Kumana Male. He is getting old now and other males (from outside the area) have started challenging him for his territory. He is looking a little worse for wear after these encounters. He has a new gash across his nose, his lip is drooping a bit more and his left front paw was injured, causing him to limp. It will not be long now before he gets challenged by males that are stronger than he is.
• The two remaining Shish Males have been seen a few times, mainly in the company of the Mananga Pride. These two male lions are getting old too and it is only a matter of time before they get challenged by other males.
• Other lions: Two unknown young males were seen close to the camp (deep inside the territory of the Kumana Male) towards the end of the month. Towards the middle of the month there was a clash between the Kumana Male and an adult male lion who we believe might have come from Mozambique.  Fortunately, although the Kumana Male was injured in the fight, he did manage to chase the intruder back towards the east.
  

(06-06-2021, 12:51 PM)Potato Wrote: https://assets.ctfassets.net/wds1hqrprqxb/2k0yYlNOv8eSmi0pp3tH0b/b9d67cadab0a71a89472d69f816aadf5/SKNP_Wildlife_Journal_May_2021.pdf

For the photos go to the direct link as it is impossible to copy-paste them.


Battle of the kings Article by Chantelle Venter, photos by Garry Bruce


On the night of the 12th of May, we could hear the Kumana Male roaring from within the heart of his territory. His territory currently runs from south of the N’wanetsi River and stretches to the west and south of our concession. He has fathered a few cubs to the Shishangaan Pride, who hold a territory within his range. It was just past midnight, and we could still hear his familiar roar from the lodge, but this time, something was different. His roar was answered by another male lion, that we could hear calling from the east. I decided to leave my warm bed and venture outside into the chilly autumn evening. I sat waiting on my porch, and listened as the intruder male’s roars got closer and closer. 

The next morning, we found the Shishangaan Pride just north of the lodge. The Kumana male was still roaring, and moving closer to where we were sitting watching the pride. The cubs were playful, climbing and falling out of low branches, whilst the females were soaking up the morning sun. 

We could see the Kumana male approaching the pride, and were anticipating a greeting ritual that most lions display when one of their members return to the pride. He stopped just short of where they were sleeping, and started roaring again. Shortly thereafter, we could hear the intruder male answering. The cubs settled down quickly, and moved towards where the females were resting. The Kumana male did not settle down with the rest of the pride, and started walking towards the N’wanetsi cliffs to meet the intruder. We decided to follow him and left the rest of the pride.

He was walking at a rapid pace, and continued roaring. We could hear the intruder male answering directly above us on top of the cliffs. The Kumana male crossed the N’wanetsi River quickly, and started moving up the cliffs on a well-used game trail. We managed to catch a glimpse of him between the riverine trees, as he stopped halfway up the trail to roar. His breath caused a cloud of vapour, as his roar bounced off the surrounding cliffs, and it looked like he was standing in amongst the clouds, as mist had gathered in the riverbed below. It was a sight to behold! We managed to drive around to the top of the cliffs, to see if we could find the two males confronting one another. The area was extremely mountainous, and we only managed to hear as they clashed and fought. 

Shortly thereafter, they started roaring again, and it seemed as if they were moving north. We decided to take a break, and stopped for a cup of coffee on top of the hill, where we could scan and listen for any sign of them. Just as we finished our coffee, one of the other guides called us on the radio to announce that he had found the two males again. We quickly drove down the mountain, and found them lying a few feet apart. The intruder male started walking away, possibly due to him not being used to being in close proximity to vehicles. The Kumana Male started roaring again, as if to intimidate the intruder out of his area. We had a close look at both males, and found that the Kumana male had a big gaping wound across his face and lip. He was also limping badly, leaving a blood trail caused by an injury to his front left paw. The intruder male managed to get away with a couple of claw marks below his eye. We sat with the lions until mid-morning, to see if they would have another go at each other, but instead they settled down licking their wounds a mere ten metres apart. The next morning, we followed the Kumana’s trail, still bloody, heading south, back towards the pride. The intruder male’s tracks were found heading south-east – back towards from where he had come.

(06-06-2021, 01:36 PM)Tr1x24 Wrote: Isnt Kruger fenced towards Mozambique? So how would this Maputo male come from there??

Kumana male still showing he has fire in him at the age of 11 yrs.

Also, no mention of 7 Satara Boys, it seem they didnt push further in east, yet stayed further west on H6.

(06-06-2021, 02:37 PM)Rabubi Wrote: The fence separating the KNP from Mozambique was removed in 2002 to create the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park, which includes the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique.

(06-06-2021, 01:36 PM)Tr1x24 Wrote: Isnt Kruger fenced towards Mozambique? So how would this Maputo male come from there??

Kumana male still showing he has fire in him at the age of 11 yrs.

Also, no mention of 7 Satara Boys, it seem they didnt push further in east, yet stayed further west on H6.

(06-06-2021, 03:55 PM)Tr1x24 Wrote:

(06-06-2021, 02:37 PM)Rabubi Wrote: The fence separating the KNP from Mozambique was removed in 2002 to create the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park, which includes the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique.

Didn't know that, ty.

I remember now, that somebody said that 2 Muntshe pride males might have come from Mozambique also.

Some coalitions near the border might just move in Mozambique, for example that might be the case with 2 missing Gomondwane males.

(06-07-2021, 02:21 PM)Rabubi Wrote:

(06-06-2021, 03:55 PM)Tr1x24 Wrote:

(06-06-2021, 02:37 PM)Rabubi Wrote: The fence separating the KNP from Mozambique was removed in 2002 to create the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park, which includes the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique.

Didn't know that, ty.

I remember now, that somebody said that 2 Muntshe pride males might have come from Mozambique also.

Some coalitions near the border might just move in Mozambique, for example that might be the case with 2 missing Gomondwane males.

No problem, my friend.

As for the coalitions you mentioned who dispersed to and/or from Mozambique, I want to add that the surviving young male lion who lost his brother to the Shishangaan males was found along the border of Mozambique after that encounter.