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Lion tales
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 (11-17-2019, 04:09 PM)Potato Wrote: https://www.cheetahplains.com/2016/02/10/field-guide-favourites-birmingham-male-lion-coalition-takeover/ Drive from a take over:
https://blog.londolozi.com/2017/05/29/matshipiri-tsalala-males-in-trouble/
May 2017 Southern Avocas vs Matshapiri male(s) part 1 From being what was once a strong and stable coalition just a short while ago, the Matshipiri male lions are now in serious trouble. In mid- to late April, in an unknown incident, one of the Matshipiri males broke his leg and since then his condition has been deteriorating. Moving with his brother and spending time with the Ntsevu pride had been his saving grace though because it had meant that he has had meat provided for him. That was until about a week ago. The first encounter happened in southern Dudley on the 20th May on the banks of the Sand River, where two young, unknown males chased the Matshipiri males north through their territory. We saw only a single Matshipiri male that morning heading north and roaring constantly, with the calls of the two other males further south and east of him. It seemed in this encounter the older males managed to get away unscathed. We became aware of the second encounter when we heard the bellowing roars of these coalitions all the way from camp on the morning of the 23rd. Shaun D’Araujo and Elmon Mhlongo traced these calls to central Londolozi and found two young males lions that none of us had ever seen before. Gregory Pingo and his guests were with these males later on in the morning as they walked through Londolozi, calling brazenly. On this exploratory mission they came across the uninjured Matshipiri male who had been resting in some long grass. As soon as he lifted his head and was spotted, the new coalition took off after him. These young males are only estimated to be about four years old and are in fact much younger and smaller than the Matshipiri males, but being alone and outnumbered, the Matshipiri male apparently decided that it was not worth a fight and so he ran for a few kilometres with the newcomers trailing close behind him. They eventually lost sight of the Matshipiri male, who headed down into the Sand River to the east of our camps, and the new males lay down to rest just south of the camps for the remainder of the day. The male with the broken back leg was seen lying close to our eastern boundary, about mid-way along. He was incredibly lucky that it wasn’t him who had been spotted by these newcomers as he would have been unable to escape in his weakened state. The following morning, the tracks showed that the healthier Matshipiri male had done a massive loop to the east of Londolozi during the night, gone south by a number of kilometres where he was met again by the newcomers. Trackers, Freddy Ngobeni and Sersant Sibuyi did an amazing job of piecing together what happened during the night based on the tracks left behind. The tracks showed where the new males had been walking when they spotted the Matshipiri male. They took off after him attempting to chase him down. There was a point where the new males managed to grab him but he ran a few more paces, dragging them along with him. The scene where the actual fight occurred showed a lot of disturbance to the ground, patches of blood as well as clumps of hair that had been ripped out of his mane. The tracks showed where the older male managed to get away and run off. From there the newcomers continued walking, leaving small smudges of blood on the ground from the base of their paws as they walked. The newcomers were found a little while later, still roaring and walking. They were both limping slightly, with blood on their feet but were otherwise in good condition. Later on that morning, they met up with a Ntsevu lioness who was seen mating with them sporadically. One of the Ntsevu lionesses is submissive towards the two new males. The youth of this new coalition is evidenced by their significantly smaller manes than the Matshipiri males whom they have been chasing. Photograph by James Tyrrell.  *This image is copyright of its original author The Matshipiri male was also found much further north of this but he was far worse off. He was bleeding profusely from the face and had been bitten badly on his back. Route of uninjured Matshipiri male over last few days. Light blue: First witnessed chase of Matshipiri by new coalition. Red: Site of altercation described in video. Fur from mane and bloodstains. Green: Position on morning after serious altercation of Green dot. Dark Blue: Matshipiri position as of two days ago  *This image is copyright of its original author This male was seen again on the afternoon of the 27th in the Sand River to the east of our camps. Despite being a bit bruised and battered, he doesn’t seem to have sustained any life threatening injuries. His brother with the broken leg was also seen on that same afternoon. He is incredibly thin at the moment and was seen chasing a male cheetah. It is quite possible that he was hoping the cheetah had a kill that he could rob but unfortunately for him this was not the case. We did see him manage to run a few paces on his broken leg but once the cheetah had moved off, he collapsed in some shade to rest. Although these animals have an amazing amount of resilience and tend to bounce back from some seemingly dire situations, his condition doesn’t bode well. In an attempt to chase a cheetah, the injured Matshipiri male can be seen limping heavily as he puts pressure on his clearly broken leg. His gaunt frame and protruding ribs are clearly evident here. Photograph by Amy Attenborough.  *This image is copyright of its original author [i]Bite wounds can clearly be seen on his rump and flanks here, evidence of a run-in with the new males. Photograph by Amy Attenborough[/i] [i]  *This image is copyright of its original author [/i][i]In a slight turn of events the two Matshipiris were seen again this morning, this time together. Last night the Tsalala Pride killed a wildebeest and when the kill was discovered by some hyenas, they began to call in other members of the clan to help chase the pride off the kill. The noise and commotion they caused drew the attention of the two Matshipiri males who were able to chase the pride off the kill and feast on it themselves. We did not see the male with the broken leg move at all so we can’t be sure how his leg is working. His brother is looking healthy though, apart from a few deep scratches and bite marks to his face and back.[/i] [i][i]Evidence of the encounter this ‘healthier’ Matshipiri male had with the new coalition. Photograph by Nick Kleer[/i][/i] [i][i]  *This image is copyright of its original author [/i][/i][i][i][i]The worst of the injuries seem to be a puncture wound below his eye and one on his back but despite appearances he should make a full recovery. Photograph by Nick Kleer[/i][/i][/i] [i][i][i]  *This image is copyright of its original author [/i][/i][/i][i][i][i] The last few months have been relatively peaceful on Londolozi with regards to lion dynamics with the absence of the Matimba males and only sporadic visits from the Majingilane coalition. Now though, roars can be heard late into the morning and the competition between these coalitions is heating up for sure. Currently we are trying to ascertain who this new coalition is, although photographic comparisons and updates from neighbouring lodges seem to suggest that they are the Avoca young males, a newly dispersed pair that have moved down from the Timbavati/Ngala area.
https://blog.londolozi.com/2017/06/07/is-there-honour-between-lions/
May 2017 Southern Avocas vs Matshapiri male(s) part 2 Three mornings ago we bumped into the non-injured Matshipiri male and followed him for 100 metres through the chilly dawn until he lay down in a clearing, looking about him. His face bore many cuts and gashes, and on his spine was a fresh puncture wound, with a thin trickle of blood running from it down his flank. Ranger John Mohaud was joining us in the sighting, and we could see his vehicle approaching, when suddenly his urgent voice came over the radio “There are two more males here approaching rapidly!” Looking towards John’s Land Rover, we suddenly saw the shape of a young male lion emerge from the bushes, and then a second, both moving quickly with heads down, clearly on the scent trail of the Matshipiri male. His face scarred up, the Matshipiri male who was chased lies down only moments before the two Avoca males burst out of the bushes in the background in pursuit. Photograph by Vedant Thite  *This image is copyright of its original author Needless to say heart rates spiked, but none more so than that of the Matshipiri male, whose head suddenly snapped round as he heard the other males footfalls, and then took off, running for his life. Seeing him flee, the two other males, by now identified as the Avoca young males, immediately gave chase. Luckily we were in relatively open country, which allowed us to follow the lions on a crazy ride as they ran at high speed through a succession of clearings towards the Londolozi airstrip. The two young Avoca males were roaring as they went, but the Matshipiri male remained silent, with only escape on his mind. His saving grace came on the far side of the airstrip, where a thick band of vegetation a couple of hundred metres wide lay between the next clearing. With visibility far reduced, the pursuing Avoca males lost sight of the Matshipiri male, who cut west out of the thicket, while his chasers, having lost sight of him, emerged about 20 seconds later, but continued on the same north-west trajectory they had been following. Moving at a trot, one of the Avoca coalition glances towards our vehicle while in pursuit of the Matshipiri male. Photograph by Vedant Thite  *This image is copyright of its original author Camp staff had a loud awakening as the Avoca males continued to bellow as they swept past the camp access roads, just as the sun began to peer over the horizon, but of the fleeing Matshipiri male there was no more sign. The Avoca males continued to roar intermittently as they tried to find his scent trail, but as an hour passed they eventually gave up and fell asleep next to a local waterhole. One of the Avoca males scent-marks while he roars, a sure sign of territorial intent. Photograph by Vedant Thite  *This image is copyright of its original author Discussions back at camp revolved around the chase, and how lucky it was that it hadn’t been the Matshipiri male with the broken leg that the Avoca males had found, else he may well have been killed, being unable to run. Ranger Greg Pingo, returning late from drive, had more news. During the early parts of the chase that morning, the Avoca and Matshipiri males had run past a big waterhole not too far from the airstrip. What no one had noticed however, being so fixated on the running lions, was that right next to the waterhole, lying in one of the inlets, was the other Matshipiri male, the one with the broken leg. He must have been there for two days, since the Ntsevu lionesses had killed a young giraffe close by and he had joined them to feed on it. With that having been his only decent meal in goodness-knows how long, he was in a badly emaciated condition, and in no condition to get in a fight with rival males. No wonder he kept quiet as his brother ran by. This was by no means the end of the story though. Realising that there was a good chance that the Avoca males might find the injured Matshipiri male that evening, Greg and Alistair Smith returned to sit with the younger coalition after dinner. The two lions got up and began retracing their steps, and as expected, it wasn’t long before they caught the scent of the injured Matshipiri male, and had found him within a few minutes. Needless to say, Greg and Alistair expected fireworks, but nothing like that happened. Instead of rushing in to finish him off, the Avoca males simply circled him at a distance, scent marking every bush and tree, but doing nothing to initiate a physical conflict. The Matshipiri male, injured and helpless, simply lay there growling. Unable to run off or rush in to attack, he simply had to await his fate. Interestingly, the two young males, after scent-marking, simply walked away. Why would two male lions, apparently intent on taking over the territory, leave their seemingly defenceless victim alone? Is it a case of not kicking a man when he’s down? Did the fact that the Matshipiri male no longer represented a threat to them meant that they weren’t interested anymore? As I understand it from Greg and Al, the injured male had his vulnerable rear end backed up into a bush, meaning the Avoca males could only attack his front, which could still have been very dangerous for them. The risk of attacking an already severely injured foe would not have been worth it. Just how down-and-out the Avoca males could sense the Matshipiri male to be no one can say for sure, but I imagine they would have had a fair idea from his emaciated condition. Also, with him not being able to run, the chase response would not have been triggered in the antagonists, so they contented themselves with merely scent-marking, establishing their dominance in front of him, then roaring as they moved off. With lions it is sometimes simply a numbers game; without his brother, the uninjured Matshipiri would have felt far more vulnerable, and his instinctive flight (on a number of occasions buy now) would trigger an automatic chase response in the Avoca young males. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened had the Avoca males arrived two months ago, before one of the Matshipiris broke his leg. As a pair of larger male lions, I don’t think the Matshipiri males would have had much trouble in dealing with this new threat. This is a moot point though, since what has happened [i]has happened, and the Matshipiri coalition seems to be losing their hold, although nothing has been concluded.[/i] [i]The healthier of the two Matshipiri males, bellowing on the morning that he first encountered the two Avoca young males.[/i] [i]  *This image is copyright of its original author [/i]The really fascinating thing in this situation for me is the youth of the Avoca young males; only having been independent since last year, I would never have imagined two males with such short manes to have fancied their chances of taking over a territory. They have obviously been able to establish how weakened the Matshipiri males are with the broken-leg male effectively hors de combat. The sparse manes on the young Avoca males are clearly indicative of their youth. *This image is copyright of its original author I remember when the Majingilane moved off Londolozi a few years ago; there was a succession of coalitions of two that moved in and were then driven off again by the next big males to come along. The Styx males were supplanted by the Fourways males who were soon ousted by the Matshipiri males, who tended to stay south with the Sparta pride (more on them in a blog next week), leaving space for the Matimba males to move in from the north. It is quite possible that these young Avoca males, if they do succeed in either killing or driving off the Matshipiri pair, may well be ousted in the not-too-distant future by an older and bigger coalition that wanders in from the Kruger Park. Three of the massive Birmingham males were seen in our northern areas yesterday morning, and the rumours of the Mantimahle males continue to loom from the south. I imagine that we’re in for some interesting times, which most likely doesn’t bode well for any cubs currently on Londolozi.  (02-05-2022, 06:41 PM)Potato Wrote: https://blog.londolozi.com/2017/06/07/is-there-honour-between-lions/ What is impressive in this is that 2 S. Avocas just turned 4 yrs old around that time, they barely had manes and already giving chases to dominant males around, althrough it was 2 vs 1 and Matshapiris where weakened by 1 male being injured, not many that young males will do that at that age.
https://www.sabisabi.com/blog/14191/a-week-in-the-bush-vol-171/
September 2017 Alteraction of 2 Southern Avocas vs 3 Tsalala males With last week ending on a high with the interaction between the Tsalala males and Avoca males, things were still pretty tense between the two coalitions, and this was not helped by the elephant carcass which attracted a lot of animals all wanting to claim their piece of the prize. The Southern Pride managed to feed off the carcass for a couple of days before the Avoca males showed up. In an impressive show of aggression, the Southern Pride females managed to chase the Avoca males off and sent them running.
 *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author The following day, two of the Tsalala males were found on the elephant carcass, fending off 15 hyenas and a large contingent of vultures.
 *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author All three of the Tsalala males were reunited briefly with one of the males attempting to take down a buffalo but was chased off by the rest of the herd, giving the young buffalo enough time to recover.
 *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  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author We were surprised on Sunday morning when we heard a commotion as the Avoca males were found fighting with one of the Tsalala’s who became submissive. The Avaco’s then turned on the other two chasing them south and vocalising with authority. This sent the remaining Tsalala heading north away from his coalition.
 *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
https://www.facebook.com/boskind101
Mjejane lion history Once upon a time Mjejane had a lion pride that was riddled with TB. I never got to see them as they were all either dead or euthanized by the Kruger vets. My first lion sighting was early 2013, it was the oldest Mpondo with another unknown male. After a while, we only saw the one Mpondo. The Mpondo was later joined by the 2 flying lions of Mjejane in that same year. As time went by 2 other males joined the 3, making them a coalition of 5 male lions. In 2015 the Mpondos left and settled down around Mpondo dam in Kruger. Thereafter, the Lukimbi break-away pride moved into Mjejane. They were ruled by the 3 old Lukimbi males. They raised cubs and kept us entertained for years. We watched the cubs grow big and strong, the pride was approximately 20 strong at one stage. In 2017 only 2 Lukimbi males were seen before they disappeared. After their disappearance, the 2 Croc Bridge males moved in. The young sons of the Lukimbi males were ousted from the reserve, never to be seen again. The Croc bridge males only reigned for a short while, they sired cubs and the females seemed content with their new kings. In 2018 we started seeing 3 young males, first they were seen vocalizing on the other side of the river. However it was only a matter time when they decided to enter Mjejane. We assume they killed one of the Croc bridge males. They were viscous warriors and even frightened the females, one female was even killed by them. But after a while the females warmed up to them. The 3 males have been named the Mjejane males, they grew strong and powerful, expanding their territory far into Kruger. They sired 14 cubs with the Lukimbi pride, I wish we knew how many of these cubs have survived. In 2020 the Lukimbi pride started moving back into Kruger. This is when we started seeing the Lone Lioness, no one knows where she is from or why she is alone. 2020 was also the year the 6 Vurhami males moved into Mjejane. We all rooted for them, but unfortunately 5 were killed. 3 of the 5 were confirmed to have been killed by the Mjejane males, the last one being Mbilu. Mbilu and Mo were named after they attracted a lot of attention on social media as being the last survivors of a large coalition. Unfortunately Mbilu got injured badly in a fight with the Mjejanes on a previous occasion and couldn't out run them the second time. Mo is still alive, he mated with a few of the Lukimbi females before he was ousted by the 2 Hippo pools males, which are believed to be his half brothers. The Hippo pools males have now taken over the reserve and the females. Only time will tell what happens next with the lion dynamics on Mjejane. It has been a privilege to spend so many years watching these cats try and survive in the African bush  *This image is copyright of its original author Pictures: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=677695269988811&set=pcb.677696533322018
https://www.arathusa.co.za/2022/11/30/the-history-of-the-talamati-lion-pride/?fbclid=IwAR2NhX9wGbvELsAssHs4cRH1CyU6z5EMMX4q1EnoaBMqx6O8Xjqb621ck64
The History Of The Talamati Lion Pride The lion dynamics are constantly changing out here in the bush. We take you through the history of the Talamati Pride… Originally part of the Nkuhuma Pride, the Talamati Pride of lions broke away from the Nkuhumas in 2007 when the Mapogo males took over from the Manyeleti males. They established territory further north, where the females started mating with the Old Nkuhuma males. The two oldest lionesses in the Talamati pride – one of which is blind in one eye (known as Silver-eye) – were born from union. The Talamati Pride was officially named in 2011 after the Talamati Bushveld Camp (Talamati means ‘lots of water’ in Xitsonga). Here’s a brief history since then… • 2011 – the pride was taken over by the Matimba males. Only one female cub sired by the Matimba males survived, but is no longer with the pride. • 2015 – The Matimba males were chased out by the Birmingham males, which lead to the Selati males moving in and claiming the Talamati Pride. During this reign 2 females died, leaving the pride with 3 lionesses. • 2018 – the 3 brothers of the Northern Avoca male coalition became the dominant males of the area, forcing the Birmingham males to move south and claiming the Talamati Pride (as well as the Nkuhuma Pride) as their own. • Early 2020 – the Dark Mane Avoca male separated himself from his brothers and claimed the 5 Talamati lionesses. In 2021, the Imbali takeover occurred… The Imbali male sensed that Dark Mane was alone and attempted to claim the Talamati Pride as his own. During this takeover, 2 females got killed by the Imbali males and 1 male lion disappeared. This takeover caused the Talamati Pride to split in two, which is how we see them today:  *This image is copyright of its original author Talamati main pride • 4 Lionesses – Born late 2018 early 2019, sired by Avoca males • Blue-eyed/Silver-eyed Female lioness – Born around 2007/2008 • Two young adult males – Born late 2018/early 2019, sired by Avoca males There are 4 lionesses and 2 young males. The silver eye female has been on her own for a while now, but when she joins the pride there are 5 lionesses. The Talamatis main pride has moved more to the area west/south-west of Arathusa. Dark mane is also occasionally found with these Talamatis. Talamati breakaway pride • Two Lionesses – Born around 2014, sired by Selati males • One Lioness – Born around 2012, sire Unknown • Five Cubs – Born around January 2022, sired by the S8 male • S8 Male – Born around 2014  *This image is copyright of its original author The Talamati breakaways are comprised of 3 females with 5 cubs. They are located in south Manyeleti, Buffelshoek and the far northern part of Djuma.. The S8 male is the father of all the cubs, and is responsible for the safety of those cubs and the females. He looks after the territory that they currently reside on.  *This image is copyright of its original author
I read this article a while back and there’s a lot of weird info here that’s not true. The Selati males pushed out the Matimba subadults. There are 4 young females now with the old lioness, not 3, and none of them were killed except Stompie in Singita.
I’ll do a longer post for the Talamatis because it’s probably time with Silver Eye’s death. The actual reports from that time will really clarify where they came from too. They split because of the Matimbas not the Mapogos. (12-08-2022, 07:53 PM)SMK350 Wrote: I read this article a while back and there’s a lot of weird info here that’s not trueLike which exactly? (12-08-2022, 07:53 PM)SMK350 Wrote: There are 4 young females now with the old lioness, not 3, and none of them were killed except Stompie in Singita.That is exactly what blog says no? "4 Lionesses – Born late 2018 early 2019, sired by Avoca males" (12-08-2022, 07:53 PM)SMK350 Wrote: They split because of the Matimbas not the Mapogos.By the time Matimbas took over Nkuchuma and Talamati were already 2 separate prides and Matimbas raised off spring in both of them.  (12-08-2022, 07:53 PM)SMK350 Wrote: I read this article a while back and there’s a lot of weird info here that’s not true. The Selati males pushed out the Matimba subadults. There are 4 young females now with the old lioness, not 3, and none of them were killed except Stompie in Singita. Yes, there’s a few inconsistencies but the piece about Mapogos isn’t one of them, It wasn’t the matimbas that caused their split, the Matimba daughter Talamati lioness that’s w S8 in the breakaways was born into the Talamati Pride, who had already been established as separate from Nkuhuma. The Talamati have lost 2 Avoca daughters….stompie is most recent but they also lost a Sub last year around the same time as the third boy dissspeared. (12-08-2022, 10:40 PM)Potato Wrote:(12-08-2022, 07:53 PM)SMK350 Wrote: I read this article a while back and there’s a lot of weird info here that’s not trueLike which exactly? “There are 4 lionesses and 2 young males. The silver eye female has been on her own for a while now, but when she joins the pride there are 5 lionesses.” When silver eye used to join there 6 females. Without her there are 5. The statement that S8 male killed female subs is more egregious because here are no verified report of that at all. One subadult female was killed by the plains camp males. The Nkuhuma split happened during the Matimba invasion. Yes, the Matimbas took over two separated prides but prior to that there was only ever one Nkuhuma pride. Only Sabi Sands rangers think the Mapogos split the pride but there is no record in the Manyeleti supports this theory. Can you show me any report of the Talamatis in Imbali from 2008- mid 2011? You won’t be able to because Blue Eye first showed up in 2011 as an unknown lioness. Like I said I’ll do a longer post and you can judge for yourself. (12-09-2022, 12:01 AM)SMK350 Wrote:(12-08-2022, 10:40 PM)Potato Wrote:(12-08-2022, 07:53 PM)SMK350 Wrote: I read this article a while back and there’s a lot of weird info here that’s not trueLike which exactly? Do so in the actual “Talamati” thread please. @Tonpa has this same report shared there as well. 
03-20-2023, 12:19 PM
( This post was last modified: 03-20-2023, 12:21 PM by Mwk85
Edit Reason: Corrected spelling error
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First off, thanks to everyone that have shared the vast amount of information that can be found on here, definitely learned a lot about the coalitions/prides I was already aware of and the ones I wasn't aware of. In reading through the different pages I came across a male lion referred to as 'Mabande', and I was wondering if anyone knew what became of him after his ousting?
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