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Lion tales
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A holistic account of the famous Tsavo man eaters, with a discussion about the debate around the figure of people killed at the end
December of 2017
Battle of Imbali - Southern Matimbas vs Northen Avocas One of the shortest nights of 2017 would become one of the longest nights for two of the Matimba males on the Mluwati concession. The confrontation between them and the three Avoca males had been building up for a couple of days already. The Avoca males spent three days on a buffalo kill just off the S36 during the previous week, while the Matimbas were somewhere in the North of the concession. We realized that there ...was a showdown looming when the two Matimbas showed up at the Imbali waterhole early on the morning of the 20th of December. They declared their arrival with loud roars and in the distance, there was an ominous answer from the three Avoca males. The Matimbas flopped down in the shade but stayed alert and watchful as they heard the roars of the Avoca males getting closer. Our guides followed the approaching Avoca males until they too, lay down and went quiet. The scene had been set, but the action stopped, as both groups of lions decided to rest during the heat of the day.  *This image is copyright of its original author Later that afternoon the roars from both groups of lions can be heard as the Matimbas against all odds win a small intimidation victory driving the Avoca males back North towards Ridge Road. It becomes very obvious that one of the Matimba males is severely hampered by an injured back leg. Even though he can’t keep up with his stronger coalition partner he joins in the roaring battle and it looks like the Avoca males are.. retreating. The stronger of the two Matimbas shows us again why they are such legends to all that know them and have spent time with them. He walks head on towards the Avoca males, his partner lying down as his leg injury slows him down. The Avoca males in the meantime look very focused and calm, watching every move the two older males make. They are attached at the hip at this point, sticking close together. The lions are now close enough to see each other but the Avoca males move into a very thick patch of bush with no visibility. The stronger of the two Matimbas follow, roaring as he goes into the thickets. The injured Matimba watches on and drags himself to his feet trying to follow with wobbly steps. The guides are unable to follow through the dense bush but it looks like the Matimbas are standing their ground against a much younger and stronger coalition. No one knows exactly what happened during the night but it becomes evident that the Avoca males were not retreating when we hear them roaring early the next morning very close to Imbali. It seems they might have separated the Matimbas on purpose by trying to draw away the stronger one. The guides find them lying just south of the lodge. Less than a hundred meters away, one of the Matimba males is also found. He has been injured and he does not move much. The guides leave him alone and we close the area to let nature take its course. There is no sign of the second Matimba male but he could possibly just be lying in the thick bush close by. The Avoca males spend the whole day sleeping in the exact same place and as night falls they roar only once and then silently get up. Miraculously there is no sign of the Matimba male at the spot that he was last seen in the morning. The Avoca Males come to drink at the Imbali waterhole, then move purposefully south towards where the Matimba male was last seen. Late during the night, we hear the roars of the three males again, this time further to the south-west. We don’t see any of the lions the next day and we don’t know what the fate of the Matimbas are. On the morning of the 23rd, we find the Avoca males in the eastern section of the concession, close to the S36. We also find two sets of lion tracks heading south-west down the Mluwati river…  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author The challengers – Avoca Males coalition. These young males first walked onto the Imbali concession at the end of November 2017. We suspected that they could possibly be looking to move into this territory permanently. It was confirmed that these males came from further north in Greater Kruger Park area and they were known as the Avoca male coalition. The Mluwati males who are resident males on the concession have rec...ently been active only in the southern part of the concession and to the north the two old Matimbas were keeping a low profile. The perfect opportunity for these three to establish a territory of their own. Over the next couple of weeks, it became clear that they meant business as they became more vocal and started scent marking everywhere they went. They killed a buffalo just off the S36 on the far eastern side of the concession a couple of days before the confrontation with the Matimbas.  *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 The nighttime images show the Avoca Males just before the confrontation with the Matimbas, and listening to the Matimabs roar.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Aftermatcch from Tintswalo In the south, one Matimba male lion was found by himself after moving in from the KNP Mluwati concession. He was badly injured. Apparently the two Matimba males are having a battle with the three younger Avoca males in this area as well. The same trio that fought with Scorro a while back!  *This image is copyright of its original author Imbali update An update from a cool and overcast Mluwati Concession, The Matimbas Brothers are back together again, pictures taken by Greg Behrens. Found sleeping on our western boundary this morning.  *This image is copyright of its original author
https://www.facebook.com/notes/kambaku-l...974634983/
July 2017 2 young Mbiri males vs 2 Mapoza males and Giraffe pride The month of July has been a month filled with countless close encounters with some of Africa’s most beautiful and iconic animals. Sunsets, sunrises and stunning starry skies have also touched people from all over the world, stealing a piece of their hearts. Sadly however, we also have to report the loss of, probably one of the most sought after, and iconic animals in the Timbavati…the white lioness. Early on a Tuesday morning, the echoes of lions roaring and fighting filled the cold winter air. Guides and guests alike hurried to get out early to witness the action first hand taking place just outside the lodge. Almost immediately the guides tracked down the Giraffe pride feeding on a buffalo kill very close to Kambaku’s entrance. After a few short moments’ two fairly new nomadic male lions (Mbiri males) entered the scene assisted by the cloak of early morning darkness and chased the Giraffe pride south away from their kill. The new nomads had just returned to feed on their stolen prize when something caught their attention from the South, the 2 Mapoza males of the Giraffe pride, approaching with intent to reclaim what was rightfully theirs. The now already adrenalin and testosterone filled nomads accepted the Mapoza’s challenge with full vigour and successfully chased the resident males off in a cloud of dust and roars!! Unfortunately in all the chaos, the white lioness found herself caught amidst it all and the target of the new Nomads aggression, a fight she was never equipped to contend with!! Her loss brings an end to the White Lions of Timbavati for now but not all is lost, the gene is still carried strong by all her kin and we hope that we shall see their return in the not too distant future.  *This image is copyright of its original author Note: Mbiris weren't even 4 years old and already were brutes.
https://www.cheetahplains.com/2016/02/10/field-guide-favourites-birmingham-male-lion-coalition-takeover/
Late 2015 Birmingham Boys vs Southern Matimbas Article and Images by Cheetah Plains Field Guide, Craig Hamilton The Birmingham coalition of 5 brothers first started entering the northern sands around October/November 2015. They come from the Timbavati area and were pushed out by their fathers to avoid competition.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author It is always very exciting to find a new pride or coalition as this leads to better gene diversification and it was just a matter of time before they would start putting pressure on the dominant males in our area.  *This image is copyright of its original author At first they B-boys would just pop in and out of the Matimba’s territory up in Buffelshoek, they soon realized that there didn’t seem to be too much reply to their vocalizations and scent markings.  *This image is copyright of its original author After a few months they explored deeper and deeper into Matimba territory. These boys looked mean and rather large for their age at the time. Now in the first 6 months, or so, they did venture into the western sector controlled by the Majingilane males, another coalition of 4 males that have ruled their area for a good number of years. As with any new comers the threat is never taken lightly as is the life of a dominant male lion. The B-boys didn’t last long and soon realized that a takeover in the western sector would prove to be dangerous and far too difficult so they set their attention to the Matimba’s territory. The Matimba’s were only 2 males and the odds seemed tipped in the Birmingham’s favour.  *This image is copyright of its original author The 5 males went on a killing spree, successfully hunting many buffalo and leaving them almost intact as a sign or warning to the Matimba’s that they meant business.  *This image is copyright of its original author In this time the Matimba’s had moved further south, almost out of Buffelshoek allowing the B-boys free reign in the north. Early July 2015, the Styx breakaway pride had 3 cubs fathered by the Matimba’s and were occupying the southern end of their territory. Cubs are always at high risk in the event of new males taking over.  *This image is copyright of its original author August 2015 we located 8 of the Nkhuma pride battling with a buffalo bull they had managed to separate from the herd. In all of this commotion we learnt that a lioness had been found dead in Torchwood, this so happened to be the missing lioness from the Nkuhuma pride.  *This image is copyright of its original author The death bellows from the struggling buffalo bull had attracted the attention of the Birmingham’s, and soon 4 of them rushed the Nkuhuma pride and chased them off their potential kill and finished what they had started. A few days later we were making our way to a sighting of the Styx breakaways with their cubs and the Matimba’s.  *This image is copyright of its original author They had killed a buffalo to the west of the lodge and out of nowhere we heard that the Birmingham’s were headed straight for the Matimba’s and Styx pride. We could hear the aggressive nature in the calls from the B-boys almost setting the challenge for the Matimba’s to reply. In strong fashion the Matimba’s replied to the challenge and chased the B-boys back north into Djuma, were they came back vocalizing as to reinstate their dominance.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author It wasn’t very long after that, that the Matimba’s had almost vanished from the area giving way to the B-boys takeover and moving much further south to avoid a possible physical confrontation that could almost possibly lead to death.  *This image is copyright of its original author In their wake the new males killed off the cubs from the previous males and also killed off another 2 lionesses from the Nkuhuma pride, probably due to them not willing to give in to the new males.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Since the take over the brothers have been mating with the Styx breakaways and now with one of the Nkuhuma lionesses. They haven’t sired cubs yet weather this is due to their inexperience or the lionesses being in a pseudo type of oestrous, we will just have to wait and see.
https://blog.londolozi.com/2017/05/01/the-epic-story-of-the-tailless-lioness-then-and-now/
The Epic Story of the Tailless Lioness: Then and Now At 15 years old, the Tailless lioness has given birth to what we can only assume is her last litter of cubs. In a rather beautiful turn of events she has chosen to den them in the exact place her mother (who also lost her tail) gave birth to her 15 years ago. The very place the epic saga of the Tsalala Pride began. The story of these two lionesses is a truly remarkable one and the parallels in their lives go beyond the mere stumpiness of their rears. Today I’d like to recount how these legends have impacted the lion dynamics of the Sabi Sands and how despite all odds they started two formidable prides, alone. But in order to do this, we must go back to the beginning.  *This image is copyright of its original author Let’s first discuss the original Tailless lioness. She was born in 1998 and had a difficult life as a youngster. In fact at just the age of four her mother died, leaving her as the only member of her pride. Shortly after this she gave birth to her first litter of two cubs around a rocky outcrop called Ximpalapala Koppie and miraculously raised them to independence. Lions are the only truly social cats in the world and rely on support from other pride members to successfully raise their young. This particular lioness began her adult life alone though and the success of this first litter should have served as a sign for what she would be capable of. Jump forward a few years to 2005 and by this point, the ‘Tailless’ lioness (who still had her tail at the time) was with her now-bigger pride (made up of her original two cubs and a younger litter of four). She had killed a zebra and all seven lions were feeding on the carcass. The commotion and noise caused by the pride feeding drew the attention of a clan of hyenas who came into the area to steal the kill. By the time rangers arrived, a fight had ensued between the lions and hyenas and the older lioness had been very severely mauled. A hyena had managed to bite her tail and remove a large chunk from the base of it. What progressed over the next few days shocked everyone as this lioness actually chewed away her own tail to curb the infection, a desperate last resort for survival. For many weeks she could hardly move and was unable to hunt. As a result she lost two of her cubs to starvation. What she gained though was an enormous amount of respect from those who witnessed her fight for her life. She had proven the extremity of her strength and resilience.  *This image is copyright of its original author The Tailless female after removing her own tail. At this point the wound had begun to heal and she could move about and hunt again.  *This image is copyright of its original author Then in 2010, the Tailless lioness would show her resilience and character yet again. At the time the Majingilane coalition arrived on Londolozi, the Tsalala pride numbered 11. Fathered by the Mapogo males, the youngsters were not Majingilane blood and in the typical spirit of a lion takeover, the Majingilane males killed four of the Tsalala cubs in the space of a few months. This left the Tsalala Pride in a precarious position. The pride had to make a decision. What transpired was that two of the adult lionesses in the Tsalala Pride (Tailless lioness’ daughters) left their natal pride, choosing to move off and mate with the newly-dominant Majingilane coalition. The Tailless lioness could have done the same. It most certainly would have been the easier decision to make to abandon the cubs and begin again with the new coalition but she did the opposite. She gathered the remaining cubs, headed into the north west of the Sabi Sands and subsequently raised them on her own. In almost the same way that her adult life had begun, she was once again raising cubs as a solo female. The subsequent pride that she saved was the beginnings of what we all now call the Mhangeni Pride. This pride is now the largest in the Sabi Sands and has even had to split recentlydue to its size. It is amazing to think how different the lion population would look had this female not gone out on a limb to save these cubs. Although the cubs were all a similar age and we can’t be sure, we believe that the cubs that she saved were actually her daughter’s and not her own. Essentially they were carrying her genes but it is incredible that she would risk her life to raise these youngsters, proving the strength of their social nature and the power of pride relations. Although we can never know her reasoning and although we try not to attribute human emotion to it, it seems she willingly made this sacrifice for the greater good and future survival of a pride she had fought so hard to begin.  *This image is copyright of its original author In 2011, the similarities between the two lionesses I speak of really began to get bizarre. One night the Tsalala Pride caught and killed a zebra beyond the southern boundary of their territory. During the night hyenas stole their carcass and when rangers found the pride the following morning, the adult lioness (Tailless lioness’ very own daughter) had had her tail bitten clean off by what we can only assume was a hyena. Within the space of a few short years, both mother and daughter had met the same fate in some eerily similar circumstances. The Tsalala Pride was in huge danger at this point because of her injury but just when rangers thought the newly injured lioness would die, the original Tailless re-joined her natal pride and helped them to kill a buffalo after ten days of not eating. After she had fed with them she returned to the Breakway Pride. Once again the Tailless lioness had come to the rescue. T[i]he more recent Tailless female after losing her tail in the same set of strange circumstances as her mother. Photograph by Adam Bannister:[/i] [i]  *This image is copyright of its original author [/i][i]This lack of a tail wouldn’t be the last similarity though. The way in which the original Tailless lioness chose to save cubs that weren’t her own by taking them to an area away from new dominant males looking to kill them was to be replicated by her daughter, the current Tailless lioness.[/i] [i]Back in 2015 the Matimba males arrived at Londolozi. They were not the fathers of the Tsalala Pride cubs (these youngsters had been fathered by the Majingilane) and therefore posed a significant threat to their survival. At the time the pride had three adult lionesses (Tailless, her sister and her daughter) and four sub-adult cubs (three males and one female). What followed was the current Tailless lioness taking the four sub-adults, of which she was the aunt and moving them to safety, to raise them alone. The two remaining females mated with the new Matimba males and have subsequently sired five youngsters from this coalition. The Tailless lioness and four cubs have formed what we call the Tsalala Breakaway Pride and have been on the move/ run throughout the Sabi Sands until now. Remember that not only is this lioness now responsible for hunting for these youngsters and trying to teach them to hunt, she is also having to traverse areas that are not actually within her territory. This means that she is having to dodge other lionesses and coalitions of males that would not appreciate the presence of this breakaway pride. This feat is a remarkable one and at the moment, all youngsters are fit and well.[/i] [i]To raise young as a lone lioness is a strange occurrence and one can’t help but wonder if this lioness observed and learnt this behaviour from her mother. She certainly learnt some of her mother’s rather unusual hunting techniques. Both these lionesses are renowned for leading their prides on hunts during the hottest part of the day. This is most likely a carry over from when the pride was small and to hunt during the day meant they would have more chance to feed before hyenas got active in the evening. Prey species may also be less aware during the day or may concentrate around water holes and shade, making them easier to locate. It’s shown us that there is so much more to lion dynamics than we realise, that pride behaviour differs from area to area and that their social systems and decision making are incredibly complex. Maybe it’s also shown us that there are even more loving elements to a pride than the mere instinct of gene continuation we’ve attributed to them in the past. A few days ago I watched this old lioness, with her easily recognisable stumpy tail, climb up to a rocky section of Ximpalapala Koppies. Two of her month-old cubs bounded out to meet her and she settled down to let them suckle from her in the grass. At the base of the Koppie lay the four sub-adults she was responsible for saving. It struck me that 15 years ago another ranger could have been witnessing this identical scene. A tailless lioness, nestled amongst the same rocky outcrop, beginning a pride with just two tiny cubs. She could never have known at the time the legacy she was creating and what resilience she would teach both her daughters and all of us lucky enough to watch their stories unfold over the years. In the moment it struck me that we’ve now seen the Tsalala Pride come full circle in a crazy sort of symmetry. Two lives sharing scarily similar parallels, one ending where the other began. These lions have certainly left their mark and we can only hope that their bloodline is carried forward in the Sabi Sands for many more years to come.[/i] [i]T[i]he current Tsalala Pride crossing the Sand River with their five cubs. This pride carries the genes of these two legendary lionesses and we will have to see what the future holds for them:[/i][/i] [i][i]  *This image is copyright of its original author [/i][/i]
 (11-24-2019, 11:18 PM)Potato Wrote: https://blog.londolozi.com/2017/05/01/the-epic-story-of-the-tailless-lioness-then-and-now/ Great post. What a story for those 2 tailess lionesses and a legendary Tsalala pride,always survivng against all odds and raising many cubs,even now,her daughter is in the same position as a lone lioness raising her 1 surviving cub. (11-24-2019, 11:41 PM)Tr1x24 Wrote:(11-24-2019, 11:18 PM)Potato Wrote: https://blog.londolozi.com/2017/05/01/the-epic-story-of-the-tailless-lioness-then-and-now/ Yeah, I hope history will repeat itself once more.
Early 2006
Mapogo's tookover of Othawa pride The new males first came into contact with the Ottawa pride but continued to push west as the Ottawas ran across the river to escape from them. Over the next few weeks the new males slowly moved further west until one night the oldest male (Makhulu) left the others and followed the scent of Nhlanguleni all the way to the western fence, north of the river. The next morning the rangers following the tracks found the evidence (blood, scuff-marks etc) of a huge fight between the two males. The large male from the coalition was found heading east to rejoin the others, bleeding heavily from the mouth and showing many scratches from the fight, on closer inspection it was seen that his lower right canine had been snapped in half. Later on Nhlanguleni was found, limping badly and with a terrible wound on the right side of his face, the wound was deep and it seemed he had lost an eye, inside the wound was what suspiciously like a broken canine tooth lodged in the cheekbon (12-03-2019, 12:12 AM)Potato Wrote: Early 2006 Nhlanguleni was a beautiful and strong lion, put a good fight against prime Makhulu, but 6 males where just too much. Power of Nhlanguleni can be seen when he took over Othawa and Sand River pride against 2 males, beast.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author He came in early 2015, from Kruger, area east of north MalaMala, area where now Torchwood pride is hanging around, its pressumed that he was around 8 years old at that time.  (12-03-2019, 02:31 AM)Tr1x24 Wrote:(12-03-2019, 12:12 AM)Potato Wrote: Early 2006 What I know is that he died in the later half of 2005 and surely he had cubs at that time, he must have come either in 2004 or earlier. Definitely, a powerful lion with an impressive personality.
http://www.sabisabi.com/blog/2617/battle-stations/
http://www.sabisabi.com/blog/2628/battle-stations-part-2/ March 2013 Kruger male Fredy vs Solo and Cleo In a tumultuous morning of lion interaction, the Kruger male finally caught up with Solo and the Eyrefield male. What transpired however was unexpected and still left us wondering what the future holds for the lions of Sabi Sabi. The morning began like any other. Land Rovers filled with excited guests left their respective lodges eager to see what the bush held in store for them. Before long, news came in that Jonas had located the long absent Kruger male. We have not seen this dominant male for a few weeks on Sabi Sabi and had wondered if we had seen the last of him with the arrival of Solo and the Eyrefield male, aka the Sparta males.
However, this morning he looked in great shape and was walking with purpose… All of a sudden, he broke into a trot and was lost in the undergrowth and despite our best efforts, 30 minutes later, there was still no sign of him. In the meantime however, other male tracks were found close to the scene and adrenaline levels raised as we realised that his demeanour must be due to the presence of the Sparta males. Soon, Solo and the Eyrefield male were located close to Little Bush Camp along with a solitary female from the Southern Pride. The larger Solo was busy mating with the female and the noise being generated had no doubt drawn the attention of the Kruger male. As I was waiting to be called in to view the sighting, Zulu, my tracker, suddenly whipped his head round speaking frantically to me in Shangaan and gesticulating wildly for me to speed up. After I calmed him down and persuaded him to translate for me, I discovered that there were fresh male lion tracks on top of the vehicle tracks and sure enough, 200m later, we found the Kruger male on the road, moving directly to the area of the Spartans! *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author knew that we were in for a wild morning but the next hour or so were somewhat unexpected. Instead of racing towards the intruding males, the Kruger male was taking his time, stopping to smell the air, scent mark and listen. The sounds of the mating pair were obvious even to us such was our proximity and I could not work out why he wasn’t rushing to defend his territory?! If anything, watching his body language, he looked tentative, unsure of how to approach the situation – it would be a 2 vs. 1 confrontation after all. The overwhelming impression that I got from following his oddly slow progress was that he knew what had to be done but did not want to face it! We tend to think of lions as remorseless killers that will defend their territories to the death when faced with opposition, but for the first time in my career I realised that the prospect of such a confrontation must come with a huge amount of emotional stress. We tend to resort to human emotions in animal encounters but I can only pass on to you my emotions at the time.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Slowly, the Kruger male approached the area, taking about 30 minutes to cover a few hundred meters. It felt like it was all pre-arranged to ensure the maximum amount of anticipation for the watching guests. By now, I could see the other vehicles waiting with the 2 other males and the lone lioness but still no charge from the dominant male! By now, Solo and the lioness had moved about 100m from the Eyrefield male who was happily dozing in the long grass. Perhaps this was the Kruger male’s plan all along. If he could isolate the younger male, perhaps he could dispatch of one of his threats without having to deal with both at once. Once he got about 100m of the young male, the Kruger male’s demeanor changed. His body sank low into the grass and his pace slowed even more. This was stalking behaviour. His shoulder blades were all that were visible as his muscular font quarters delicately tested the ground before placing any weight on it to ensure the element of surprise was not lost. The mirage of orange slinked through the long grass as the gap was closed to within 50 meters. Then 25, and finally 10. The poor Eyrefield male was still sleeping peacefully, blissfully unaware of the 200+ kilogram ball of tensed muscle that bore down on him. I had goosebumps. I was convinced that he would wake up at the sound of my heart pounding with anticipation. We have all been waiting for this moment for months and finally the trap was set and I was there! But still the Kruger male refused to engage.  *This image is copyright of its original author Whether a noise tipped him off or not I don’t know but the Eyrefield male stirred. Slowly he looked over his shoulder and saw the Kruger male bearing down on him. His eyes left no doubt that he knew he was in serious trouble. Lions are not known for their emotiveness but it was clear that he was beaten. He took 2 or 3 panicked paces before realising that running was futile. Instead, he turned to face the male and sank low to the ground, exposing his stomach and uttered a pitiful whimper, a plea for the Kruger male to show compassion at his submissive behaviour. The Kruger male held all the cards and removal of one of his competitors was there for the taking. I held my breath waiting for the inevitable.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author But the Kruger male seemed confused by his younger opponent and instead of hammering home the advantage, seemed to be content with his dominance and let out a semi-roar before turning his back to scent mark on a nearby bush. The petrified Eyrefield male saw his opportunity and took it. While the Kruger male’s back was turned, he shot off into the bushes. The Kruger male was quick to respond however and took off in pursuit.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author For the next kilometer, we followed as the Kruger male chased after the fleeing male but never really trying to close the gap. This, it seemed was just a message. The gap between them never reached less than about 20 meters and the Kruger male seemed content to merely chase the youngster roaring at the top of his lungs as he went. Content that his unambiguous message had been received loud and clear, the Kruger male eventually let him be and turned his focus to his more equally matched challenger. Whether this decision will turn out to be a mistake remains to be seen….  *This image is copyright of its original author During this fracas, Solo and the female has started moving in the other direction and the Kruger male wasted no time catching up to them, no doubt full of confidence after dispatching the youngster with minimal effort. He trotted back from whence he came, roaring every couple of minutes, leaving no doubt as to what was in store for Solo. This however is where things took a strange turn. According to Elliot who had stayed with Solo, upon gaining visual contact, the Kruger male stopped. Solo was not running scared. In fact, he was marching back up the road, approaching the Kruger male! The Kruger male took one look at Solo and rather than engaging in mortal combat as we all expected, turned tail and fled into the bushes?! By all accounts, Solo made no great effort to follow him and instead changed direction no doubt to meet up with the female once more. Elliot and the other rangers were unable to relocate any of the trio in the very thick vegetation so what happened next I cannot tell you for now…  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author I have been in this industry for over 7 years and have witnessed takeovers from male coalitions in the past but I have never experienced this type of behaviour before. Why did the Kruger male not take out the Eyrefield male when he had the chance? Why did he not engage Solo and instead choose to flee? Will he get another chance or is his 2 year tenure as dominant male of the Southern Pride over? What will become of the sub adults and the current batch of cubs? For now, I cannot wait for the clock to tick 4 o’clock so that we can attempt to track down the main players and continue to bring you up to date with what is turning out to be a fascinating saga. Whatever happens, you will be the first to know! The lions were picked up again later that afternoon with Solo in hot pursuit of the Kruger male but stopped when the Kruger male decided to turn and face his aggressor. The Kruger male started to scent mark next to the road in a statement of intent. Solo went straight to this bush and sprayed over the exact same bush to remark and potentially confirm his plans to take over the Kruger male’s territory.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author For a while we lost the 2 protagonists as they went through a particularly dense patch of vegetation but soon after we able to relocate them. We came across Solo defecating on the road and then rubbing it over his cheeks, a technique we presume would make his scent smell stronger when rubbing his face against bushes, in addition to the glands on the side his face. Solo then continued to pursue the Kruger male but after a while the Kruger male decided to up the ante. He turned to face Solo with a stare of immense power and authority. This stare caused Solo to think twice and for the first time during the confrontation, seemed to doubt his chances. After watching the Kruger male flee from him earlier, his confidence was high but this was the first sign of menace from the dominant male. I got the impression that for the first time, Solo realised that this situation was very real and balanced on a knife’s edge!  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author He turned away, and with the roles reversed from this morning’s encounter, the Kruger male stamped his authority. He started to chase Solo, but only for about 50m before both settled and eyed each other from a safe distance. It was like 2 fighters feeling themselves out in round 1 of a title fight! As they stared each other down, Solo was contact calling in what seemed to be a call to arms to the less dominant Eyrefield male who was chased by the Kruger male earlier in the day (see previous blog). Maybe Solo had realised that now was not the time to engage and that he was more assured of a victory if he could rally his lost brother in arms. Both cats were extremely tired from the endurance effort and took this time to rest less than 30m from each other but neither of them willing to make the move. The Kruger male then decided to continue marking his territory followed closely by Solo who was making every effort to cover the Kruger male’s scent by marking over every bush he came in contact with. Mother Nature dealt the Kruger male a helping hand by sending down large volumes of rain which washed away his scent causing Solo to become disorientated as to his whereabouts. The Kruger male then put some distance between them and eventually disappeared out of Solo’s sight. Solo decided to take the opportunity to take a breather and was content rest close to the airstrip but continued roaring periodically safe in the knowledge that the Kruger male would hear his war cries.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author For the remainder of the evening, both parties seemed content to rest. Lions after all sleep on average 20 hours a day and they had been engaged in this psychological warfare now for the entire day. Should they come to blows at some point, physical conditioning would be paramount. That seemed to be it for that evening’s chapter and the rangers left both protagonists sleeping with one eye open but no more than 300m apart. Yesterday morning, there was no sign of the Kruger male but Solo and the Eyrefield male were found together once more. During the night, it seems as Solo had abandoned his offensive and chosen, perhaps wisely, to re-establish contact with his partner in crime. Both these males were found sleeping early on and by the end of the evening had barely moved, no doubt recovering from the ordeal of the previous 24 hours. Neither of the males bore any signs of a fight and so we are still no closer in establishing what might become of this saga! This morning, nothing seemed to have changed. Solo and his companion were located again, with the Kruger male somewhere close by in our neighbouring property but roaring a warning to his challengers still. Throughout all of this the Southern Pride has been absent. The lone female that was seen mating with Solo slipped away from the conflict and has not been seen since. The pride is still split and tracks were found for 2 or 3 of the females and the sub adults, but we were unable to locate their whereabouts. There has been a huge amount of speculation as to what will happen, but it seems that the males are still feeling each other out. The inexperience of the 2 newcomers and the reluctance of the Kruger male to engage against greater numbers seems to be cancelling each other out for now at least. Some are suggesting that the 3 might form a coalition: Solo has managed to infiltrate a pride before after all… But the might of the Southern Pride females may have something to say about that! They will protect their cubs and Mandleve and her counterparts showed during the Kruger males’ take over that they are quite capable of defending their own. A part of me wonders if the Kruger male is waiting for them to do his dirty work for him! With the pride split however and the imminent departure of the 4 sub adult males, things are still very much up in the air! We will pass on any new news as it happens! BY: TERRY ENNEVER (EARTH LODGE RANGER)
https://wildearth.tv/2008/05/the-khuma-pride-of-lions/
Mapogo males vs Nkuhuma pride and their 2 resident males I was asked if I would write a post for the WEBlog about what I know of the Khuma Pride of lions from the Djuma Game Reserve. These lions are not well documented and information about them before 2006 – well, I couldn’t find any. I only got to see little snippets of the pride… teasers. I was one of the people who truly had a hard time getting a connection. I saw them in little 5 to 10 minute segments, the longest connections I got – and much of my viewing was thanks to videos posted by the generous folk who knew how to do them. I was always left wanting to see more. This was the first time I had a chance to know a lion family … and they grabbed my heart without me realizing it. I loved seeing the mamas and their little ones. I knew this was not a story, but real-life nature – I knew we were never sure of a “happily ever after”. I couldn’t help but get attached to them. The cubs -who could resist?  *This image is copyright of its original author There are a number of variations for the pride’s name – Nukuhuma, Kahuma, Humas, Khumas. The name “Kahuma” means, in Shangaan, “come out” and they “came out” from the Manyaleti-Kruger National Park area in the northeast part of Djuma, having been seen on the very northern borders in late 2005, but not yet making their way into the area traversed by Djuma Game Reserve vehicles. They were reported in the Djuma Ranger Diaries in Nov/Dec of 2006 and were 12-13 strong at that time – 2 adult males, 1 young male, the rest females and cubs. They took over territory that had previously been that of the Skatani Pride, who were all dead by this time. There were many different males who attempted to take over the area, but the Khumas were the ones that finally settled in, after a short period of residence by a group known as the 3+1 pride. The young male mentioned seems to have vanished – Jan speaks of him in the Sep 19, 2007 WEBlog as though he was a son of the pride males. Though Rexon does not know about this young male specifically, he said the usual thing that would happen is that he would have been thrown out of the pride at about 2 1/2 years or he would have just left and ended up making his own coalition. The Khumas were seen moving about on the Djuma property throughout 2007, usually staying north of the southern boundary. The WildEarth game drives first showed them to us in July 2007. I loved watching the “old” cubs teaching the “new” cubs how to play, and seeing up to perhaps 7 mamas on a sighting. It was great fun watching the antics of the cubs growing, playing, exploring, and bravely learning just how it was that they should chew up those tough old buffalos. I loved looking at the two powerful males, quiet and strong, magnificent in the last sunlight of the evening, just lying in the grass, noses tilted upwards & sniffing the breezes. No doubt these were the guys in charge. We watched them mating in the late months of 2007…with other than the ladies of their pride. In December, there was the most wonderful parade of all sizes of young lions.  *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 couldn’t believe there were so many trotting along behind the in-charge Auntie, stopping to have a look back at us, some of them flopping down and practicing their resting techniques. I remember thinking what a lot of babies there were to look after and feed and keep safe.  *This image is copyright of its original author There were about 15 little lions at this time. At this same time, there were reports of a powerful coalition of 6 male lions in the areas of Sabi Sands south of Djuma -The Mapogo Males. They were a force to be reckoned with, having taken over many areas and establishing themselves as the dominant males for a number of prides. It is thought that they are related, but not necessarily all brothers – probably cousins in the mix. On Dec. 8 of 2007, the older dominant Khuma male, known to WildEarth viewers as Blondie, was mating with a Styx lioness on a property called Chitwa Chitwa, which borders Djuma to the south. The Mapogos were there too. When they found Blondie, there was a fierce fight. Blondie was killed by the Mapogos. The surviving male, known as Dozi, managed to escape to the north. The females scattered north also, with the many young cubs that had to be immediately relocated away from the Mapogos. I could not imagine how they were going to get all those little ones to safety. Some were very new and would have had a terribly hard time travelling on those little legs. It is not known the exact number of cubs that survived the move or if any of the females were found at that time by the Mapogos. Mating was reported to have taken place, but if they had mated at that time, cubs should be on the ground by now, and so far, I haven’t heard of any. Rexon was the one who reported Blondie’s death to us that morning, and it was just the worst thing I could think to hear. I have seen my share of catfights out in my yard, and projecting the fierceness of the little domestic cats into what had happened at Chitwa Dam, I was horrified to think what probably had gone on with 5, or perhaps all 6, of those big strong males going after Blondie. I hoped he died quickly. Tears flowed for a long time that day. I did know about pride takeovers, but I never thought that it would touch me on this personal level – I had read about such things, but I was a witness this time, and I never expected it. And worse, I knew Dozi was out there somewhere as were all those babies….and I knew about infanticide. It was a profoundly sad day. We didn’t know what had happened to the survivors. It seemed likely the Mapogos would be after them for sure. In January, there was dramatic evidence of another encounter with the Mapogos. One of the older Khuma cubs was found dead, and from the evidence at the scene, it looked like the Mapogos had come upon the Khumas feeding on a giraffe kill. A fight ensued, and though the body of that one cub was the only one found near the giraffe carcass, two others were killed close to Buffelshoek Dam. Pieter presented it quietly and in a matter-of-fact manner, and I realized that, as much as I hoped they would be ok, the truth was that the cubs would not survive this. More sadness. What I had hoped would not happen, had happened, and it was likely to happen again with the other cubs. I was just one of many WE viewers who did not like the Mapogos very much in those days. Pieter reinforced that this is what lions do – and though I did understand that, I didn’t like it. That was my lion family they were after. The Mapogos were indeed, as Pieter said, strong warriors, beautiful in their wildness and fierceness, but they were in the “bad guys” column on my page. Later during that game drive, four of the Mapogos were seen, some sporting wounds from the encounter – and they were returning from the north, where we knew the females had gone with the cubs. (The 2 cubs killed near Buffelshoek Dam were probably found and killed at this time, I suppose.) It is written up in the WEBlog on Jan. 12, 2008. It is believed that the male, Dozi, was off mating with a Styx Pride lioness at the time, which quite possibly allowed him to survive this attack. One of the cubs that escaped became separated from the pride, but after several days alone, finally managed to join up with them again on a kill on the Kruger Border. That would have been a reunion to see…. Over the next months, & up to the present, the surviving Khuma pride has spent its time mostly in the north-eastern parts of the Djuma property, moving from time to time into Manyaleti and Kruger National Park – the area they originally came from in 2006. Prior to Blondie’s death in December, Graham Cooke, from Djuma, had counted 10 lionesses + 2 males, along with 15 cubs. He took this pic Feb 4, when he found the surviving pride on a buffalo kill near the Kruger National Park border.  *This image is copyright of its original author In the February 26 WEBlog, Jan reports that tracks of the Khuma male, Dozi, were found on the western boundary of Djuma near Vuyatela. Other members of the pride have also ventured back south into their old familiar territory from time to time, and on March 13, this “coming home” behaviour put them in the wrong place yet again. Pieter told us more sad news as the afternoon drive began. The Mapogos had found the Khumas in thick bush, feeding on a waterbuck kill. We were shown the body of a Khuma lioness. It was reported initially that 2 cubs had been killed, but that number may have been 4 or perhaps 5. Apparently one of the cubs had been eaten, and that is not a usual behaviour. Nor is it usual for males to kill females when taking over a pride, but the speculation is that this Mama fought very fiercely and died protecting her cubs. She inflicted damage on the Mapogos as she fought them though – we saw 2 of them later during the drive, lying down and nursing some pretty impressive wounds. There could be as few as 8 cubs remaining now. Currently (since the death of Blondie) there have been up to 5 females seen at a time. Other lionesses may be alive though,and may have broken away into smaller groups, as they are known to do when a pride becomes very large. On Apr 5, Pieter found 2 Khuma lionesses at Guarrie Pan, feeding on a kudu bull they had killed. Again, they are coming south into their old territory. No cubs were seen with them. They stayed at the kill until they managed to eat the whole thing, and then returned north to the rest of the pride. On Apr 21, Dozi was seen in the north, feeding alone on a kill and looking well. This drama continues. It is surprising that in the 4 1/2 months since the December attack killed the dominant Khuma male, The Mapogos have not yet found the pride and killed the remainder of the cubs. It seems inevitable that it will happen. The Mapogos are covering more and more of the Djuma property, having settled right in. The Khumas are being pressured by The Mapogos to move east toward Kruger, and who knows what other prides may be operating on the Manyaleti-Kruger National Park side, pressuring them to stay to the west. We will just have to wait to see what comes next. I really don’t want to do the part that almost certainly will happen…..the part where the Mapogos find the pride, and Dozi and the cubs will be killed. Then the cycle will start over, this time with Mapogo cubs and 5 strong males to be their protectors. It seems like so much to have happened in the 10 months since we met this pride….I guess that is what happens out there. (12-15-2019, 02:27 AM)Potato Wrote: Mapogo males vs Nkuhuma pride and their 2 resident males Nice post. Legendary lioness Nana and Thanda Imp Sizanani where 2 of those surviving cubs from Mapogo takeover.
LAST YEARS OF CHARLESTON PRIDE AND THEIR STORY
PART 1: RAISE OF 2 CHARLESTON MALES This part of the story goes back to a few years ago. Two of Lion Sands’ regularly seen prides, the Southern Pride and the Charleston Pride, came together on a buffalo carcass. In a terrible clash of dominance, the larger Southern Pride annihilated their opposition. They fought to the death, with the Southern Pride killing most members of the Charleston Pride. The only lions to survive were one lioness with two cubs and her adult sister. Despite surviving the attack, the mother lioness unfortunately never recovered from her wounds and died shortly afterwards, leaving her two cubs motherless. The cubs, both males, were about 3 years old at the time – too young to fend for themselves. Those same cubs would eventually grow up to take on a huge territory at Lion Sands, but at the time, they were very vulnerable. Without the protection of a mother, they would most likely have died.
In the end, the surviving lioness, the Charleston female, adopted her sister’s cubs, later referred to as the infamous Charleston males, and raised them as her own. For two years they remained a pride, and did well for themselves despite their small numbers and vulnerability. During that time, the Charleston males became expert hunters and were proving to be a mighty force. Around the age of five, coming into their prime, they began uniting with females of the Southern Pride to mate. As their rendezvous with the Southern Pride increased, the Charleston female moved off on her own. It just wasn’t safe for her to be too close to these unrelated lionesses whose strength in numbers could easily spell death for her.
The Charleston female was now on her own. She kept a low profile in a small territory along the Sabie River to keep from being killed by other predators. Eventually she got pregnant and gave birth to two male cubs – the young Charleston males.2 last Charleston lionesses:  *This image is copyright of its original author Last Charleston lioness:  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Young Mazino and Big Boy:  *This image is copyright of its original author PART 2: 2 LAST CHARLESTON SUB- ADULTS AND HILDAS ROCK YOUNG MALE The story begins with a lone lioness, called the Charleston female. She has a rich history of her own (which we will write about in a future post). For now, all you need to know is that she was a lone lioness whose pride was killed by other lions, and was raising her two cubs called the young Charleston males (not to be confused with the Charleston lions) on her own. During the time when the young Charleston males were growing, a neighbouring pride called the Hilda’s Rock Pride was attacked by the Southern Pride over a territory dispute, leaving only one lioness and one cub alive. The two managed to survive on their own until one day the mother was killed, leaving the Hilda’s Rock male an orphan without any pride or protection. During this time, the Hilda’s Rock male was understandably highly stressed, and was seen skittish and frantically running around looking for his mother. It was a terribly anxious time for him and this caused his mane to fall out, which to this day – a year later – hasn’t grown back.
This is where the stories of the Charleston and Hilda’s Rock lions connect. After two months of fending for himself, the Hilda’s Rock male approached the lone Charleston female with her two cubs. Very nervous around a male lion who could potentially kill her cubs, she fiercely guarded them and would not let this new male approach.
For a few months, the young Hilda’s Rock male trailed the Charleston group. Slowly over time, the female permitted him to get closer and closer and she eventually came to realise that the Hilda’s Rock male was not a threat to her family. Unbelievably, she went on to adopt him, a completely unrelated young male, despite an extra cost associated with protecting and feeding another cub with little added benefit to her family. It’s not clear why she adopted him. Perhaps she knew this cub was in need and felt compelled by a very strong maternal instinct.
For close to a year, they stayed together as a unit until tragically the Charleston female died. No one is certain how, but it was a tremendous loss of a beloved female. Without their matriarch, the 3 surviving males traveled together as a coalition. The young Charleston males were only about 2 years old at the time, and still too young to survive on their own. Even with the protection of a slightly older male, it would be an uphill battle to survive in a place where competition is fierce and predator density is high.
After several months, the Hilda’s Rock male separated from the young Charleston males and formed his own coalition with an unknown male from the Kruger National Park. Following the split, the two young Charleston males were frequently seen around Lion Sands together.
Despite the odds, the two males were surviving and thriving. If they could keep it up, perhaps in two or three years they could take over a territory here. But very sadly, one of the brothers was killed. He died in the most unjust and unbefitting way for such a survivor – at the hand of man. He was caught in a snare last month and despite our efforts to assist, he succumbed to his injuries.
The Lion Sands Field Guiding team, who know of the immense struggle of these young brothers who have overcome so much, did not take the news easily. But as is often the case with a lion’s story, something surprising was to happen next. The day after his brother died, the remaining young Charleston male was seen together with the coalition of his adopted brother, the Hilda’s Rock male. The two hadn’t been seen together in 4 months since they originally separated, but immediately came together when the remaining young Charleston male needed the protection of other lions.Unfortunately this young sub-adult couldn't keep up with 2 grown up males, he went missing and prob died. Mazino and Big Boy in a visit of their aunt and 2 young boys :  *This image is copyright of its original author Hildas Rock male with remaining Charleston Pride:  *This image is copyright of its original author The last born lions of their once mighty Charleston and Hildas Rock prides, prides who where unfortunately whiped out by Southern Pride:  *This image is copyright of its original author This is another unbelievable story of fighting for survivial against all odds and shows us how remarkable lions are. After the last Charleston sub-adult dissapeared, Hildas Rock male continued to be with his coalition partner who seemed to be legendary lion Solo, unfortunately Solo dissapeared shortly after, prob died from old age, after that he partnered with another unknown male named Shy Boy. He was with Shy Boy to the mid 2019,when towards the late 2019 he was seen with 3 new males in a new coalition. Now,in his prime, at almost 7 years old, this big boy is trying to establish himself as one of the legends of Sabi Sands and Kruger. Hildas Rock Male behind his once coalition partner Shy boy in mid 2019 :  *This image is copyright of its original author Hildas Rock male:  *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 cubs, both males, were about 3 years old at the time – too young to fend for themselves"
As it is stated here: https://www.malamala.com/blog/the-charleston-male-lions Charlestons were born in April 2011 and the fight of their pride with Southern pride was in January 2012. |
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