Lion tales

[Potato]

https://www.umlani.com/blog/post/umlani-captured-in-photos-october-2016/
https://www.sundestinations.co.za/blog/the-last-trilogy-male-lion-returns-to-klaserie/

June-November 2016

Mapoza males raise to power, ousting Mabande male and two remaining Trilogy males part 6

Aftermatch

It seems the reign of the legendary Trilogy males has come to an end. Over the last few months, with pressure from new coalitions that moved in, their grip on the southern Timbavati began to slip. They had a brutal fight with the two young Ross males which left both Trilogy males beaten and running for the hills. They settled a bit more north until the arrival of 2 more males from a neighbouring reserve, the Mapoza males. One of the Trilogy males was last seen a while back, his wounds not healing and he was in bad condition and we presume he wasn't able to recover and passed away. The lone surviving Trilogy male has since been seen moving far north and out of his former territory, leaving it to the Mapoza males. With the take over brings interesting times and hopefully lion cubs, as the Mapozas have been mating constantly with the last white lioness and the two Ross breakaway females.

*This image is copyright of its original author

A glance back at our last sighting of this Trilogy male:

After the death of the first of the 3 Trilogy males about a year ago, the famous trio had narrowed down to 2. One of remaining duo was not in good condition after a buffalo hunt went bad, while the other (always the most dominant of the 3) was seemingly strong; but 1 male could not stand up to the force of the young and powerful Mapoza pair, and when it became obvious that the weaker Trilogy male had died, the last one standing was seen slinking through the area and disappearing into the thicket, quickly and quietly, avoiding confrontation. That memorable sighting was 7 months ago, and we did not think we would see that iconic, battle-scarred male again on this turf again, especially since the Mapoza males were such a strong presence. Reply