Styx Pride

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History of Styx pride - Part 2 :

So we continue with Styx history, we ended around mid 2009. Few months ago, Styx pride male, Rollercoaster male, lost his territory to Mapogo males KT and mr T.

This was big turn of events for such a strong pride of 7 females, as they had 9 remaining cubs, around 1 yrs old, sired by Rollercoaster male (some might be by Mapogos as previous article speculates, as they mated with few Styx females, but they dont know that. Its pretty much accepted that these cubs are Rollercoaster offspring) who are under direct threat from 2 Mlowatis, so Styx pride go on a run.

They split, 5 mothers took the cubs, while 2 cubless females accepted Mlowatis and give birth to their cubs.

From this on, to around mid 2010, it was pretty much game of "hide and seek" between Styx childcare group and Mlowatis, with numerous encounters and fights between the 2 groups.

Already in June 2009, 1 of 5 females disappeared, and only 5 out of 9 cubs remained.
Also in August 2009, 1/2 of the females who was with Mapogos and had their 2 cubs, was killed, apperantly by Mapogos themselves, cubs also vanished shortly after.

By the arrival of Majingilanes around mid 2010, and defeat of Mlowati males, Styx pride "shrinked" to only 3 adult females ( just 1 year prior there where 7 adult females) , oldest and most famous female, known as grandma Goggi, 2 other adult females and 2 sub females and 1 sub male (famous Rollercoaster Styx young male).

As 3 adult females are coming back to estrus, they started mating with new dominant males in the area, Majingilanes, and their first offspring was born in early 2011, more then 10 cubs at that time.

This meant that time for RC Styx young male with the pride was over, he went nomadic at around 2,5 yrs old.

Theres a lot of stories about this legendary young male, his legendary clashes and fights with Majingilanes and Matimbas over the 2 years, to losing his eye, seen beaten and limping numerous times, he tried to conquer alone few prides, but didnt succed. He was last seen in August 2012, with wounds on his hinder legs, without an eye and limping.

1 of his sisters also disappeared, so from that generation of Rollercoaster and Mapogo cubs, only 1 RC female manage to reach adulthood (female who is still alive today, she is over 14 yrs old atm).

Towards 2013, Majingilanes are slowly starting to abandon Styx's as they moved further south and towards central Sabi Sands, mating with new prides Tsalalas and Mhangenis.

By mid 2013,  Styx pride consistent of oldest female - grandma Goggi, another older female, and young RC female, alongside 4 remaining Majingilane offspring, 2 sub females and 2 sub males who where around 2.5 yrs old at that time.

Shortly after, in September 2013 , famous Styx female, grandma Goggi, died from old age, leaving pride with  2 adult females, 2 sub females and 2 sub males.

With absence of Majingilanes, nomadic male, at that time known as only Nkuhuma male (later be known as famous Thanda Impi male Sizanani), took his chance and mated with 2 adult Styx females, who gave birth to his cubs by very late 2013/early 2014.

Being "squezzed" on a territory between Majingilanes and Matimbas, Sizanani couldnt establish himself there.

Later in 2014, 2 young males become nomadic, they are known under name Big Boy and Long Mane Styx's, their story after is quite known.

In 2015, 2 powerful S. Matimba started to hang with Styx's, remaining Sizanani subs got killed by them. They sired cubs, but not for long, in late 2015, 5 Bboys ousted 2 S. Matimbas, in process killing 1 of younger Styx females - 1/2 Majingilanes daughter from 2011, who was pregnant to Matimbas, alongside all the Matimba cubs.

So by the start of 2016, Styx pride was down to 3 adult females, 1 old female, RC female and 1 Majingilane daughter.

They mated with Bboys and gave birth to their cubs thru 2016.

Majority of 2016 litter cubs didn't survive, mostly because of mange, except 2 cubs born around late 2016, another litter of 4 was born in early 2017 and another of 4 in September 2017. So Styx's had 10 cubs by the end of 2017.

By mid 2018, pride was doing alright, altough they lost 2 cubs and where still battling mange. But long waited stability under Bboys didn't last, Bboys started to vacanting north and moved south, in process abandoning their prides and Styx's also. 

By the pressure of new N. Avocas males from the north, and big Torchwood pride from the east, around the beginning of 2019, Styx's turned nomadic.

Around that time, oldest female disappeared, 2 remaining females had almost impossible task ahead of them, under mange and nomadic life, raise 8 cubs/subs to adulthood.

By the end of 2019, only 3 sub females and 1 sub male remained. Regardless, if they managed to raise remaining 3 sub females to adulthood, that would be big succes. But it didn't happen, 1 sub female disappeared in early 2020, apperantly killed by Kambulas, another 1 died during a hunt incident in late 2020.

In early to mid 2020, Nkuhuma young male joined them, he and Styx young male formed a coalition and left the pride towards late 2020, they where later known as Nwalungu males in Singita, unfortunately Styx young male died in 2021 in an incident.

So by the late 2020, Styx pride where left by 3 females, RC female, Majingilanes daughter and Bboys daughter.

After 2 yrs of nomadic life, they finally settled in "empty" area of southern Sabi Sands (Lion Sands, Sabi Sabi), far south from their natal territory, where they have been for atleast 3 to 4 decades. So this was in a way "new beginning" or "chapter" of Styx pride.

There they started mating with dominant males in the area, 4 Ndhzenga males. They give birth to 11 cubs in early 2021. All cubs are alive and well to this day.

Another "rebuilding" process of Styx pride is on the way, hopefully this time with success, as this pride prob had most violent and disturbing history this past decade and more in Sabi Sands, only 3 females managed to survive by past of age 5 yrs since 2008, losing prob around 50 cubs/subs in that span, if not more.

Over the decades, this pride was dominated by West Street Males, Mluwathi males, Rollercoaster males, Mapogos, Majingilanes, S.Matimbas, Bboys and now Ndhzengas.

Theres a lot of famous and legendary prides in Sabi Sands with their stories thru years, Styx's are definitely up there, as one of the most legendary. Reply