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THE NKUHUMA PRIDE = 23
1 ADULT FEMALE ± 9 YEARS 5 MONTHS
2 ADULT FEMALES ± 8 YEARS 11 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE ± 8 YEARS 8 MONTHS
3 ADULT FEMALES ± 5 YEARS 6 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE ± 5 YEARS 4 MONTHS
2 SUB ADULT FEMALES ± 2 YEARS 4 MONTHS
5 SUB ADULT MALES ± 2 YEARS 4 MONTHS
1 MALE CUB 1 YEAR 11 MONTHS
7 CUBS ± 7 MONTHS
Sightings of the Nkuhuma pride are up from last month. The month started with the three lionesses and their seven cubs, along with the two Northern Avoca males northeast of Mlowathi Dam. The following day only the three lionesses and their cubs were at Mlowathi Dam. A couple of days later, on the 4th , two of the lionesses and all seven cubs were at Mlowathi Dam again. The bulk of the pride was seen with both Northern Avoca males on the 15th at Gowrie boom, where they had a buffalo bull kill. The three lionesses were at Mlowathi Pans on the 22nd. The following day four lionesses and the seven cubs were on a zebra foal kill in 4 ways Open Area. Nine pride members were on a buffalo bull kill near Gowrie boom again on the 27th with the two Northern Avoca males.
THE NORTHERN AVOCA MALES = 2
2 ADULT MALES ± 8 YEARS 5 MONTHS
Sightings of the Northern Avoca males are down from last months 19 sightings. The abrupt advancement north by the Ndhzenga males is the likely cause of the reduction of sightings of these two males, as is the case with the Gowrie Males. On the 1 st , both males were with members of the Nkuhuma pride northwest of the old borehole in Eyrefield. The following three sightings were of a male in Marthly on the 5th,6th and 7th . On the 8th , both males were with two lionesses from the Kambula pride at Matumi Rocks. When the four Ndhzenga males roared their way east towards MalaMala camp, the Northern Avoca males responded before moving northwards out of the area. On the 10th , the two males had an impala lamb kill at Mlowathi Dam. On the 15th , both males were on a buffalo bull kill at Gowrie boom with members of the Nkuhuma pride. The following day the males had moved south and were north of Stwise. Overnight one of the males moved back north while his brother linked up with a lioness from the Kambula pride west of MalaMala Camp on the 17th . One of the males was at Mlowathi dam on the 19th. The last sighting for the month was on the 27th when both males and members of the Nkuhuma pride had a buffalo kill at Gowrie boom.
THE SOUTHERN AVOCA MALES = 2
2 ADULT MALES ± 8 YEARS 9 MONTHS
The only sighting of these two males for the month was on the 13th when they were with the Sand River pride members at the Tjellahanga River's confluence with the Sand River.
THE SAND RIVER PRIDE = 14
2 ADULT FEMALES ± 8 YEARS 4 MONTHS
2 ADULT FEMALES ± 4 YEARS 4 MONTHS
1 FEMALE CUB 1 YEAR 11 MONTHS
3 CUBS 1 YEAR 11 MONTHS
3 CUBS 4 MONTHS 3 CUBS 3 MONTHS
The first of the two sightings of this pride was on the 13th , when the four lionesses and six cubs were at the confluence of the Tjellahanga River and the Sand River with the two Southern Avoca males. The last sighting of this pride was on the 17th when three lionesses and the four older cubs were at Charleston Rock.
One of the Northern Avoca males with members of the Nkuhuma pride. Neither he nor his brothers have ventured too far south since their last encounter with the Ndhzenga males.
Mohawk is looking good. I wonder how Blondie is recovering. And any word on DM? I think the last footage I saw of him was from 2-3 ago. WE’s move from YT has made it kind of challenging to get a quick update on the Avocas. As the individuals who used to post daily clips when they were seen on WE are not really doing so anymore.
Blonde and Mohawk seen on Chitwa this afternoon on WildEarth. Blondie sporting a rather severe limp to the front left paw and looking a little thin (although if you had no visual and just an audio of the WE guide, Tessa I believe, you would think he was at deaths door). I caught it just as the females and cubs left so assuming they're with the Nkuhuma's.
Tessa also mentioned that with them pushing from the south and the S8 male also encroaching, Dark Mane is now in the Western reaches. The other guide on the other vehicle was speaking about Dark Mane but the TV was on a low volume so I did not catch it properly although it sounded like he was seen about 500m from the Gowrie Gate on the main access road. If I have a chance later or tomorrow I will have a look through their replay once they've uploaded it, assuming nobody else watched it and can clarify, that is.
(12-22-2021, 09:36 PM)Wyld@Heart Wrote: Blonde and Mohawk seen on Chitwa this afternoon on WildEarth. Blondie sporting a rather severe limp to the front left paw and looking a little thin (although if you had no visual and just an audio of the WE guide, Tessa I believe, you would think he was at deaths door). I caught it just as the females and cubs left so assuming they're with the Nkuhuma's.
Tessa also mentioned that with them pushing from the south and the S8 male also encroaching, Dark Mane is now in the Western reaches. The other guide on the other vehicle was speaking about Dark Mane but the TV was on a low volume so I did not catch it properly although it sounded like he was seen about 500m from the Gowrie Gate on the main access road. If I have a chance later or tomorrow I will have a look through their replay once they've uploaded it, assuming nobody else watched it and can clarify, that is.
I think pretty much everything Tessa said about the Avocas in todays broadcast was incorrect. My understanding is DM is continuing to spend time north, not west. Blondie is far from 100% but I agree he’s hardly at death’s door.
Tessa is new to WE and doesn’t seem to know much about the Avocas, which is a common occurrence on WE when there are new guides.
All that said, it’s always good to see Blondie, Mohawk and the Nkuhumas. I must say I do miss seeing DM. He is my favorite of the Avocas, but his shift away from Djuma is understood considering he’s no longer partnered with his brothers and seems to prefer being on his own.
(12-23-2021, 03:08 AM)WildLeonis Wrote: I think pretty much everything Tessa said about the Avocas in todays broadcast was incorrect. My understanding is DM is continuing to spend time north, not west. Blondie is far from 100% but I agree he’s hardly at death’s door.
Tessa is new to WE and doesn’t seem to know much about the Avocas, which is a common occurrence on WE when there are new guides.
All that said, it’s always good to see Blondie, Mohawk and the Nkuhumas. I must say I do miss seeing DM. He is my favorite of the Avocas, but his shift away from Djuma is understood considering he’s no longer partnered with his brothers and seems to prefer being on his own.
Yep agreed. I also had the impression that the Talamatis and Dark Mane had shifted into the southern Manyaleti/Buffelshoek area. I did go back to the WE broadcast and I did hear right; Talamatis and DM were close to Gowrie gate and the WE guide was hoping they would move and come into Djuma.
Not much space to the direct west of Djuma before leaving the reserve completely so Tessa definitely had her signals and directions mixed up there. She has been on WE before, usually at Ngala, but she was the guide when the Talamatis and DM retreated off that Buffalo carcass in the east with the S8 male coming in a few months ago so I'm surprised she's out of whack with the directions that these prides and coalitions are shifting. That said, the WE guys can be a little clueless at times.
