Lion tales

[T I N O]

One month ago two amazing lions were killed by members of the species they avoided as much as possible and never trusted - humans. This tribute is not dedicated to that incident, but tells the story of two remarkable male lions.
In the first half of 2009 there were first reports of 2 unknown big male lions roaming the north eastern Sabi Sands. Nothing unusual given this area is directly bordering the Kruger National Park and nomadic male lions move in and out to check out opportunities.
At that time the 2 notorious Mapogo Males, Kinky Tail and Mr.T, were the rulers of this estate and most nomadic males wisely decided to avoid them and moved on. Not these 2 males, they decided to stay around. And there was another thing catching the attention of the game rangers and the interested audience, these 2 males did not like people-in-vehicles approaching them too close. In fact they avoided they game drive vehicles as much as they could and sometimes even charged at them if their warning growls have been ignored.
It was believed these male came from “the north” and in the beginning they were called “Manyeleti Males”. Well, there was another pair of male lions called “Manyeleti Males” having fallen victim to the Mapogos not too long ago. So the newcomers were called “The New Manyeleti Males”. More and more reports came in.
The newcomers did not only earn the respect of people, but also of the resident male lions. There have been several altercations between the New Manyeleti Males and the 2 Mapogos. Kinky Tail and Mr. T tried to get rid of them. But to no avail. Everybody expected the usual headline: male lion down – killed by the Mapogos.
But towards the end of 2009 reports came in about the New Manyeleti Males roaring in Little Gowrie with the 2 Mapogos being only a few kilometers away … and Kinky Tail and Mr. T did not response! That was something new. These 2 brave males finally established a territory adjacent to the “Mapogo North-East Kingdom” and were then regularly sighted in Torchwood, Western Gowrie and Buffleshoek. There has never been another attempt by the Mapogos to attack the New Manyeleti Males and as far as I know they have never been seen again north of Little Gowrie.
As their new home was pretty much the Djuma traversing area those rangers gave them a new name. They called them the “Gijima Males”, which is Zulu language and means something like “running away”. Well, not from other lions but still from vehicles. Even though they started accepting the presence of people more and more, they remained skeptical and never really trusted humans. Esp. the one with the lighter & shorter mane never was really at ease with people, as we know today for very good reasons.
The Gijima Males were fully grown adult males when they arrived, but still in their prime. I would estimate their age being around 8-9 years as of beginning of 2011. The male with the lighter & shorter mane was slightly younger than the other one I believe. This means the Gijima Males were not brothers, probably pride mates and definitely “the best friends”.
The bonding between the Gijimas was extraordinary. They have always been seen together, even if one was mating the other one stayed in close vicinity to back up his partner. I am not aware of a single incidence where the Gijima Males had an argument amongst each other, not about kills and not about females. This is very unusual.
And there is another thing which makes the Gijima Males standing out. There is not a single report about the Gijima Males harassing females or killing cubs. Right the opposite. At some point the 2 males started discovering the southern Manyeleti area and were seen with a female and a cub, which has been sired by Dozie (the famous Nkuhuma Male). They did not kill the cub. A similar incident was reported with another group of females with cubs. The Gijima Males always behaved calm & gentle in the presence of females and cubs. By male lions standards they were true “Gentlemen”.
In the first half of 2010 they were often seen mating, resting and feeding with some females of the Nkuhuma Pride (the group around Snaggletooth). They stayed with these of females for quite some time. They started avoiding the northern Sabi Sands since the Majingilane Males started their land claims. On the 21st of June the Gijimas, in company of one of the Nkuhuma females, killed a buffalo in Western Gowrie and were attacked and chased off by the 4 Majingilane Males. The Gijimas moved further north and east. I believe I have seen footage from summer 2010 showing “our guys” with 4 females and 4 cubs close to Hoyo Hoyo Tsonga Lodge east of Torchwood in the Kruger NP.
The Gijimas were also often sighted in the Manyeleti Reserve and obviously found new mates there. Towards the end of 2010 and beginning of 2011 they made a return to Western Gowrie, in company of 4 females from the Nkuhuma Pride (a sub group that has been with Dozie in the Manyeleti until summer 2010) and their offspring, 2 new cubs. It seemed to be the beginning of a new lion soap opera, 4 healthy females and 2 strong males, along with the first 2 members of a new lion generation.
Sadly this movie will never make it to the film theatres … it is a shame. The two Gijima Males and one of the cubs are no longer.
I was always delighted to see the Gijima Males or to hear about them. They were very special male lions. I salute to the Gijima Males, brave fighters, smart protectors, great mates and caring leaders, but also shy and cautious.
I hope the Gijima Males are still walking together … somewhere!
Photo credits: Andreas Nienhaus
Manyeleti-Sabi Sands,30.1.2010

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

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