Lion Directory

[vinodkumarn]

I am posting the sequence of Mala Mala reports on How Avocas took over Kambula/Ntsevu  Pride From Matshapiris


May 20th. 3 lion sightings: early morning audio of lions roaring south of Rattray's Camp was soon followed by audio of lions fighting. We first found the fuller maned Matshapiri male steadily moving northwards through the Tamboti Thickets. Not too far behind him were 2 unidentified younger male lions- one of which had bite marks on his hind legs. They would roar- then the Matshapiri male would stop, turn around and roar back before moving north again. 2 lionesses from the Kambula pride also appeared on the scene and they had clearly been feeding off a kill. One of the lionesses ran off but the other approached the new males- the same lioness who lured the Matshapiri males away during their altercation with the Clarendon males some months back. She then proceeded to 'mate' with the young males as she had done with Matshapiri Males.

May 21st. 3 lion sightings: the 2 young unidentified male lions are still with the lioness from the Kambula pride north of Karen Open Area. The fuller maned Matshapiri male and the other 5 lionesses from the Kambula pride are in the Sand River near Maxim's Lookout.

May 22nd. 3 lion sightings: the 2 young unidentified males are still with one of the Kambula lionesses and they have moved even deeper into Matshapiri male territory- they were found along the Sand River just south of Main Camp close to where the Kikilezi female's body was. The 2 Matshapiri males have reunited and are not far away- they are in the Sand River east of our airstrip. It will be interesting to see how the less dominant Matshapiri male's back leg injury will affect this standoff. 

May 23rd: The fuller maned Matshapiri male was found at Matumi Rocks this morning and he was left this evening moving south along the Sand River in front of Main Camp. 

May 26th: A few of the lionesses began to curiously inspect a nearby bush and it became clear that at least one of the lionesses had given birth! We caught a brief glimpse of a lioness carrying one of her cubs in her mouth- they are probably only a day old.During the afternoon the 6th lioness along with the 2 unidentified young males were spotted not too far away. 

May 27th: The 2 young males are still with one of the Kambula lionesses and they spent the day along our airstrip- both males are still limping. The fuller maned Matshapiri male was found in the Sand River near Elephant Rock- he seems to be healing from his recent injuries. 

May 28th. 4 lion sightings: The 2 Matshapiri males have reunited and the were seen in the Sand River near Elephant Rock. 

May 29th. 5 of the lionesses from the Kambula pride were found west of West Street Bridge. Both Matshapiri males were seen together south of Stwise. 

May 30th: 3 lion sightings: the two males (Avoca) that have been with a Kambula lioness recently were found north of West Street Bridge. The Kambula lioness who has recently given birth was north of Rattray's Camp- fresh scars on her face and the proximity of the 2 young males to her den-site lead us to believe that they had an altercation of sorts.

June 1st: As we enter our winter months we ponder, with excitement, what lies ahead. Especially with regard to the dynamics within our lion population. The Matshapiri males are on the ropes, will they bounce back or will the young, opportunistic Avoca males rise to the occasion? What will happen to the Kambula lionesses' cubs? The Mantimahle males have shown interest in the central and southern parts of our property in which the Fourways and Eyrefield prides roam- they've already killed a cub of the latter. The Clarendon males have also seemingly vanished which leaves the Marthly pride exposed. For our lions, could uncertainty, discomfort and fear be compasses for growth? One thing is for certain... when nothing is sure, anything is possible.The lioness from the Kambula pride who recently gave birth was seen in the vicinity of her den-site south of West Street Bridge.

June 2nd:  The 2 young 'Avoca' males were found just south of Main Camp and this time they were without the lioness from the Kambula pride. 

June 5th: The 2 young 'Avoca' males moved southwards in the Sand River from Main Camp towards Maxim's Lookout. 

June 6th: All the while we could still hear lions roaring back and forth from 2 different locations. The 2 young 'Avoca' males were seen moving south towards our airstrip. The other audio was emanating from the northwestern reaches of our reserve. As we followed up we discovered the full compliment of the Kambula pride and the fuller maned Matshapiri male.

June10: The two young Avoca males spent the day near Maxim's Lookout. 

June11th: The injured Matshapiri male was viewed on 2 days, the second of which saw him waiting at the base of a tree with the Piccadilly female leopard and an impala kill in it. As we watched him waiting for scraps to fall down it was impossible to think anything other than that he is living on borrowed time.  

June 14th: The 2 young 'Avoca' male lions where seen north of Styx Waterhole.

June 15th: the 2 'Avoca' males were seen at Charleston North Crossing and they were in the company of the younger Eyrefield lioness.

June 16th: Some good news today for lion lovers... the injured Matshapiri male has covered a surprising amount of ground from we we last saw him. He was at Buffalo Bush Dam, well fed and still crunching down on the remains of an impala. We can't say for certain weather he somehow managed to kill it himself or if he stole the kill but the Emsagweni female leopard was viewed nearby. 

June 18th:   One of the young 'Avoca' males was seen in the company of a lioness from the Kambula pride west of our airstrip. It wasn't long into our afternoon drive before we found the other young 'Avoca' male and he too was with a Kambula lioness, at West Street Pans.

June 20th.The 2 young 'Avoca' males were also viewed separately, west of our airstrip - both had a different Kambula lioness for company.

June 21st:  A single lioness from the Kambula pride was found at West Street Bridge- she is lactating. 

June 23rd. 3 lion sightings: 4 lionesses from the Kambula pride and the fuller-maned Matshapiri male were found across the Sand River from Main Camp this morning. They spent most of the day in front of Room 1 with one of the lionesses moving away eastwards at midday. The remaining 4 lions treated us to a fantastic sighting when they got active during the afternoon. We had front row seats as they crossed the river and then immediately started hunting waterbuck. 

June 24th: the 2 young 'Avoca' males were spotted in the Tamboti Thickets- both were extremely well fed. 

June 25th: The sound of lions roaring thundered through the blanket of mist. It was coming from 3 different locations and upon following up on the closest audio we discovered a young 'Avoca' male, walking at a brisk pace south of our airstrip. He crossed the Sand River eastwards and then met up with the other 'Avoca' male. They were on a mission and started jogging northwards. We followed them for some distance before losing visual.  Whilst trying to relocate the coalition we happened upon 2 leopards being harassed by hyenas near Campbell Koppies! It was the Senegal Bush male and the Piccadilly female. We viewed them mate several times as they moved through the koppies. Things got even more interesting when they noticed something to their south- a Matshapiri male lion. Their 'shock' was short-lived as it was the injured male- in a show of what could be perceived as arrogance, the leopards just strolled past him. The lion is in very bad shape and the mating pair deemed him not to be a threat as they carried on their way. The other Matshapiri male lion was seen soon after in front of Main Camp. The 2 young 'Avoca' males were seen again this evening and they were moving north towards the area of the Matshapiri males. As I type this update I can hear lions fighting and roaring east of Main Camp.

June 26th. Following on from our last post... We were abruptly awoken just before 5am by the deafening roars of lions in front of Main Camp. By the time we left camp it appeared that the chaos from the night before had subsided. An eery silence fell over the land as the dawn was heralded by the descent of a still chillness. More alarm calls followed soon- this time it was impalas near our airstrip. As we followed up we came across the 2 Avoca males and 2 lionesses from the Kambula pride, walking westwards at a brisk pace. By the looks of it these lions had not taken part in the overnight brawl as they were free of fresh battle-scars. Tracks of 2 large male lions were located coming into MalaMala from the west, just north of our Airstrip and they were making a bee-line to the area in which the separated Matshipiri males were last seen. Although we never located the makers of the tracks, odds are it was most likely the Manyelethi males! The injured Matshipiri male was found at Campbell Koppies and it seems that he too managed to keep a low profile overnight. This leads us to believe that the fight we heard was between the fuller-maned Matshipiri male and 2 of the Manyelethi males. None were located. 

June 28th. The day got off to a cracking start with the sun rising over Campbell Koppies to the sound of a buffalo in distress. As we arrived on the scene we saw a small herd of buffalo bulls surrounding a comrade with a badly broken leg. The 2 Avoca males and 2 lionesses from the Kambula pride were 20 meters away- presumably their first attempt at bringing down the prey had resulted in the bull breaking its leg. But something else was also going down in the midst of the herd. They were attempting to gouge something on the ground... it was the injured Matshapiri male. The bulls nudged him around a bit before being satisfied that he was not a threat. In the end the other 4 lions successfully brought down the injured bull. For the rest of the day they fed off the carcass with the injured Matshipiri male just watching from 10 meters away. All the while hyenas were gathering in their droves and by nightfall there were 10 strong, and counting... another 2 lionesses from the Kambula pride were also found early moving west away from the area of the other lions- they were both lactating.

 June 29th. Lions, lions, everywhere... a total of 6 different lion sightings today including 4 prides and 3 coalitions! The 2 Avoca males and 2 lionesses from the Kambula pride were chased off their buffalo kill by 11 hyenas- the lions then moved into the Sand River south of Main Camp where they spent the rest of the day. The injured Matshipiri male was in the vicinity of the buffalo kill whilst the hyenas were feeding.

June 30th. The roars of lions have dominated the night skies over MalaMala recently and last night was no different. Lions could be heard through the night both opposite and south of Main Camp. This time the culprits opposite camp were 3 of the Gowrie males!

July 2nd: The 2 Avoca males are still in the company of a lioness from the Kambula pride south of West Street Pans. The injured Matshipiri male was found near Campbell Koppies- still in poor condition.

July 3rd: the 2 Avoca males were in the company of 2 Kambula lionesses south of Princess Alice's Pans. The injured Matshipiri male was on Valley Road.

July 4th: Both Avoca males were seen separately but in the same general area west of our airstrip, both lions were mating with lionesses from the Kambula pride. The injured Matshipiri male is still in the vicinity of Campbell Koppies.

July 5th: 2 lion sightings: He's back! The fuller-maned Matshipiri male was seen in the Sand River west of Elephant Rock. He's sporting some fresh battle scars but nothing too serious.

July 6th. The king is dead, long live the king. The Matshipiri male with the mohawk has finally succumbed to his injuries. His carcass was found just south of Campbell Koppies with hyenas feeding on it. This officially brings to an end the short-lived reign of this coalition and as the saying goes: you live by the sword, you die by the sword. 2 lion sightings: the 2 Avoca males were viewed at Buffalo Pans.

July 8th: One of the day's main talking points involved 5 of the lionesses from the Kambula pride. They were found close to Main Camp early this morning. As darkness fell we watched them cross the Sand River at Bicycle Crossing before they took note of something to their west. The lionesses ran in without delay and before we knew it 3 of them had ascended a tree with a disgruntled leopard in it. The leopard managed to climb up higher ensuring that it was out of the lions grasps but unfortunately it was not afforded the time to move its fresh impala kill. The lions devoured the carcass in a matter of minutes before continuing on their way.The fuller/maned Matshipiri male was seen at Elephant Rock.

July 9th: the 2 Avoca males spent the day south of Princess Alice's Pans. Guests are Rattray's Camp were treated to a 4 in 1 special with a lioness from the Kambula pride, 

July 12th. 5 lion sightings: 4 of the lionesses from the Kambula pride were found early this morning near the White Cloth. They treated us to some spectacular game viewing as they moved northwards, hunting throughout the day- 2 of the lionesses split away at midday, possibly to return to their cubs. 

July 13th: The 2 Avoca males and a lioness from the Kambula pride spent the day along the Sand River south of West Street Bridge. This evening we watched in awe as 3 Kambula lionesses acrobatically caught an impala just west of Main Camp. 

July 14th: The 2 Avoca males and a lioness from the Kambula pride spent the day in the Sand River just north of Rattray's Camp.

July 17th: We followed the spoor towards the Sand River where we found 3 members of Kambula pride. A 4th Kambula lioness and the fuller maned Avoca male were seen soon after about a kilometer to their west. Later on we returned to the 3 Kambula lionesses, they had barely moved an inch but that would soon change. A duiker's shrill distress-call pierced the air. The lionesses shot up and ran a bee-line to where the sound was coming from. We sped off in hot persuit. A few minutes later the lioness arrived at the scene and discovered the fuller-maned Avoca male killing a duiker. One of the lionesses approached him but the male, who was unwilling to share, launched a brutal attack before devouring the small antelope. The 4th lioness then joined the sighting and all 4 made a submissive and somewhat comic advance, in union. 

July 18th. 6 lion sightings: 2 of the most used phrases today: "They're back!" and "He's back!" The first refers to the return of the aging Manyelethi males- the individuals with the dark mane and the scared nose were found east of the Sand River in northern Charleston. The second refers to the fuller maned Matshipiri male who joined up with the Fourways pride this evening along the northern parts of our boundary Jwith the Kruger National Park. 2 Kambula lionesses were viewed opposite Rattray's Camp and another 2 were south of the camp.

July 19th-21st: The 2 Avoca males have been in the company of a lioness from the Kambula pride on our airstrip. Last night we witnessed a fascinating but gruesome ordeal when the other 5 Kambula lionesses caught and repeatedly mauled a hyena close to Main Camp. 

July 23rd:  The 2 Avoca males were in the Sand River north of Rattray's Camp- they stole a kill from hyenas after dark.

July 24th: The 2 Avoca males spent the day on the White Cloth in the company of 2 Kambula lionesses. Another 2 Kambula lionesses were in the Sand River in front of Rattray's Camp.

July 25th: 5 lion sightings: The 3 Manyelethi males are back again! These aging dominant lions were found along the central parts of our boundary with the Kruger National Park. 4 lionesses from the Kambula pride were at Maxim's Lookout- the view from this point is normally amazing but add 4 lionesses and 2 herds of elephant... breathtaking. The fuller-maned Avoca male was seen in the Sand River just a few hundred meters south of the lionesses. A 5th and heavily pregnant Kambula lioness was seen in front of Rattray's Camp.

July 27th: 3 lionesses from the Kambula pride were found in the Sand River south of West Street Bridge- later in the day we watched them catch an impala.

July 29th: The day got off to a rather quiet start but that changed quickly and it changed dramatically when 4 of the lionesses from the Kambula pride were found trailing a herd of 200 Cape buffalo north of Styx Waterhole. The whole ordeal lasted for a couple hours with the herd successfully driving back several attempts made by the lions... until they entered the Sand River. As the lions gave chase once more the buffalo stampeded across the watercourse at a point with a deep hole- several animals stumbled through it but one individual paid the price for his misfortune. the remaining 2 Kambula lionesses spent the day in the Sand River south of Rattray's Camp. The 3 Manyelethi males are along the northern bank of the Ngoboswan Donga. 

July 31st: 5 lionesses from the Kambula pride were south of West Street Bridge. The 2 Avoca males have buffalo kill near Lion Waterhole. 

August 1st: Leopards: Tuesday's main talking point revolved around the Bicycle Crossing male after he had consecutive standoffs with the 2 Avoca male lions. Another interesting sighting occurred later when we found the Manyelethi male with the scarred nose mating with a Kambula lioness near our airstrip. 4 lionesses from the Kambula pride were viewed hunting impala north of West Street Pans.

August 2nd: 5 lionesses from the Kambula pride were viewed on our airstrip. The 2 Avoca males were along the southern reaches of the Matshipiri River

August 3rd. 5 different lion sightings were recorded today including another interesting twist in lion dynamics... a Kambula lioness is mating with a Gowrie male south of Senegal Bush! Another Kambula lioness is still mating with the scarred nose Manyelethi male. We watched the 2 Avoca males hunting buffalo in the Sand River south of Main Camp. Reply