Ximhungwe pride: past and present

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CHAPTER 3 - THE FIRST SELATI OFFSPRING AND THE LAST HOPE OF THE XIMHUNGWE BLOODLINE

Selati Takeover and Tensions with the Ximhungwe Pride (2012–2013)

After killing Mr. T in March 2012 and driving off Makhulu and Pretty Boy by mid-year, the once powerful Mapogo males were ultimately dethroned by the Selati coalition. Their relationship with the Ximhungwe lionesses was strained from the start. Still traumatized by previous cub losses during the Mapogo era, the lionesses worked hard to keep their cubs hidden and away from the Selati males. One of the Selati males stood out for his aggression and independence, he also chased the Ximhungwe lionesses at one point and was attacked by all four females.

Short Tail female was the first lioness to mate with a Selati male. Over time, more mating occurred, and the Selati males spent extended periods with the Ximhungwe lionesses.
Ximhungwes mating with Selati in May 2012

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Queen was left to feed and take care of the last Mapogo cubs and hunt alone while limping, as her sisters focused on securing acceptance from the Selati males

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Despite their valiant defense, the Ximhungwe lionesses were unable to protect their offspring, the last four Mapogo cubs dissapeared by mid 2012, victims of yet another takeover-driven purge, a harsh evolutionary mechanism that forces prides into reproductive reset under new male leadership. For the second time in less than a decade, the Ximhungwe Pride was left without any cubs, and once again, the lionesses were forced to start over.

One of the last sightings of the Mapogo descendants. Three subadults (2 males and 1 female) with a Ximhungwe adult lioness, July 18 2012

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Despite tensions, new litters sired by the Selatis were born in late 2012 and early 2013. By early 2013, two lionesses had brought their cubs out of hiding, one of the was Short-tail female.
Photo: Short Tail and Long Tail in February 2013

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Although the Selati males were starting to behave like pride males—feeding alongside the lionesses and patrolling regularly—distrust remained. On several occasions, the lionesses ran from them, and the males rarely followed. In one incident, a Selati male chased and instinctively killed a cub.

Two sisters, Selati daughters in March 2013

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The Selati males soon abandoned the pride, shifting their focus to the Othawa Pride during their territorial conflict with the Majingilane coalition. On the other hand, Queen started to lose condition and passed away around early 2013, most likely due to disease.

Ravenscourt-Ximhungwe female, she had a litter of three cubs born in Jan 2013

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After all, some progress was made. The cubs were growing, hunting improved, and the pride managed multiple kills. For a moment, there was hope that at least part of the new generation might survive.

Ximhungwe pride with subadults sired by Selatis, around two years old, Nov 4 2014

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Death of the Short-Tail Lioness and the Fall of the Old Line (2015)

Some years passed with relative calm until the year 2015, when the lack of dominant males took its toll. Within a short space of time clashes with hyenas resulted in the loss of one of the subadult females, as well as the Ravenscourt Lioness.

Conflicts arose between Ximhungwe females and Othawa pride & Majingilane males. Ximhungwes began to mate with with Majingilanes, but since the remaining subadults were not the offspring of the Majingilanes, the four youngsters had to tread carefully and avoid the attention of the males, who also had the welcome distraction of the Othawa Pride to divert their interest elsewhere. The presence of the Othawa Pride inevitably became more of a hinderance than a help and the close proximity resulted in fights between the two prides. These repeated clashes resulted in the tragic death of all the two Ximhungwe females, Short Tail and then Long Tail. On April 7, 2015, the short-tail Ximhungwe lioness—mother of some of the pride’s most recent surviving cubs—was killed by the Othawa pride during a nighttime confrontation. Majingilane males were seen feeding on the remains of the lioness afterward.

Long Tail Ximhungwe, the last of Ximhungwe of her generation. She left two female subs born mid Nov 2012 (daughters of Long Tail), one female sub born mid Nov 2012 (daughter of Short Tail) and one male sub born January 2013 (son of Ravenscourt female).

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The pride was left in the hands of four surviving sub-adults, uncertain and exposed in an increasingly hostile landscape. This marked the beginning of a long period of wandering and instability for the Ximhungwe lionesses, left without protection or consistent territory. Only three subadults survived in the end to adulthood: two females and one male, all sired by the Selati males. These three lions eventually reached adulthood and became the last known descendants of the original Ximhungwe Pride…

Ximhungwe subadults hunting buffalo by their own. Photo by Neil at Savanna

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To be continued… Reply