Avoca male lions

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Northern Avocas:

2020:

January:
The ‘northern’ Avoca males viewed on seven days in January.

February:
The ‘northern’ Avoca males viewed on five days. 

March:
The ‘Northern’ Avoca males were viewed on three days: 18th, 22nd and the 25th, accompanying the Nkuhuma Pride.

April:
With these two males spending more and more time in the northern parts of Eyrefield mainly along the Mlowathi River we’ve decided to add them to the list of regularly seen lions. Although these males do have a third brother, we are yet to see him and to our understanding he spends all his time some ways north of your boundary. Therefore, we have not added him to this coalition. Should he come south and join his two brothers we’ll add him. On the 2nd one of the males was seen south of the Gowrie Boundary some ways east of Mlowathi Dam. As was the case with the Nkuhuma pride, it was only at the end of the month we saw them again. On the 30th both males were at Mlowathi Dam with the Nkuhuma pride.

May:
Of the five sightings of these males they were seen together in three sightings, with the Nkuhuma pride in all but one sighting. Only once did we see one of the males alone and this was on the 21st north of Mlowathi dam. For details on the other sightings of these two males please refer to the section on the Nkuhuma pride:

Although this pride was only seen on four occasions this month, tracks indicate they’re still spending a good portion of their time in the north western corner of MalaMala. The full complement of the pride and both Northern Avoca males were found with a buffalo bull kill near Senegal Bush on the 2nd. The following day we found all 19 lions along the Mlowathi River just north of Senegal Bush where they spent the day near some pans. On the 4th all 19 lions were at Mlowathi Dam crossing having not moved that far north. The last sighting of this pride on a misty morning (6th) where three of the females, all nine cubs and a northern Avoca male were seen near Mlowathi Dam. The likelihood is the rest of the pride were further west in a very dense block of land.

June:
We only saw these two males once this month and not with he Nkuhuma pride for a change. They were both together on the 14th at Mlowathi dam.

July:
Uncharacteristically we did not see the two Northern Avoca males in the northern parts of Eyrefield this month.

August:
The two Northern Avoca males were seen five days in a row between the 11th and the 15th with the Nkuhuma pride west of Mlowathi Dam where they’d killed two buffalo bulls on separate occasions. The last sighting of the two males was on the 17th when they were seen with the Nkuhuma pride moving west and roaring near Gowrie Circle

September:
The two Northern Avoca males were seen on four occasions together this month and once there was only one male viewed alone. On the 4th one male was seen south of the Nwana Nonantshemeni donga. On the 6th and 7th both males were seen near Mlowathi Dam. On the 20th both males were seen together again at Paraffin drift. The last sighting of these two males was on the 29th at Mlowathi springs. Being the most settled coalition in the area could it be these two males that pose the largest threat to the Gowrie males? They are starting to move further south and west than usual and this may be an indication of them looking to expand their territory in months to come.

October:
A plot twist among the lions…? On the 28th one of the Northern Avoca males was mating with a lioness from the Kambula pride at Mlowathi Dam while his brother was further north along the Mlowathi River. The following day the same male and lioness from the Kambula pride were mating west of Mlowathi pans.

November:
As was the case last month these two males were seen mating with a lioness from the Kambula pride on the 5th at Mlowathi dam. On the 6th a male was seen south of Mlowathi dam. On the 17th, 18th and 19th the two males were seen with the Nkuhuma pride near Mlowathi Dam. On the 17th and 18th, they were on a Cape buffalo kill east of the Mlowathi River south of the Nwana Nonantshemeni donga, and on the 19th they were at Mlowathi dam. The last sighting of these two males was on the 22nd when they were again seen with the Nkuhuma pride east of Gowrie circle.

December:
The two Northern Avoca males were seen together or close to one another in all the sightings during December. On the 8th both males were seen with the Nkuhuma pride east of the Mlowathi River south of Mlowathi Dam where they had two wildebeest kills. The following day, having finished off the two kills they spent the day at Mlowathi Dam. Both males were vying for mating rights with a young lioness from the Nkuhuma pride on the 28th and 29th. On the 28th both males were with the lioness east of Mlowathi Dam. Whereas on the 29th one male was at the dam while the other was mating with the lioness east thereof.


2021:

[b]January:
[/b]
On the 3rd one of the males was mating with a young lioness from the Nkuhuma Pride north of Mlowathi Dam. Both males were seen together on the Gowrie Boundary west of the Mlowathi River on the 17th.

February:
These males were together in five of the six sightings and in the presence of lionesses in all sightings. On the 2nd, both males were around Mlowathi Dam with a young lioness from the Nkuhuma pride with whom they were mating. The following day the two males were east of the Mlowathi Dam crossing, where they spent the day before linking up with the full complement of the Nkuhuma pride that evening. A few days later, on the 7th, both males were seen mating with a lioness from the Nkuhuma pride north of the Old Borehole in Eyrefield. Two weeks passed before they were seen again, with three lionesses from the Nkuhuma pride at Mlowathi Dam. The final two sightings of these males left us a little confused about the ID of the lioness they were mating with, but after looking at photographs carefully, we can confirm it was the Marthly lioness. On the 26th, one of the males was mating with the Marthly lioness at Mlowathi Dam, and the following day the second male had joined the mating pair, with the cub of the Marthly lioness watching from a safe distance. 

March:
A whopping 16 sightings for March and the most sightings of this coalition on MalaMala since their movement south more than a year ago. Undoubtedly, this marks the start of their challenge to the Gowrie males. The fast-approaching dry season will be an interesting one as we watch the dynamics of the lions of MalaMala shift. Early in the month the Northern Avoca males moved south along the Mlowathi River and almost overnight decided the entire Mlowathi River is theirs. The month started at a normal pace with one sighting of the two males on the 1st at Mlowathi pans. Ten days later, we next saw one male at the sausage spot, and from then on, these two males were seen almost daily along the Mlowathi river and as far south as Piccadilly Pans and Campbell Koppies. On the 14th, both males were with three lionesses from the Nkuhuma pride north of Senegal Bush. The males had a zebra foal kill at Gowrie circle on the 16th. One male was with members of the Nkuhuma pride at Mlowathi Dam on the 18th. On the 22nd, a male was at Lower Mlowathi crossing, where there were three lionesses from the Torchwood Pride. The four lions were not seen together, but the male was approaching the unknown lionesses with caution. The following day he was mating with one of the lionesses at Campbell Koppies. The final sighting for the month was on the 29th when one male was with three lionesses of the Nkuhuma pride at Mlowathi Dam

April:
The two Northern Avoca males have been heard roaring a lot along the Mlowathi River in recent times, which adds to their claim to the river and the area west of it. The two males were only seen together in four sightings, and they were with members of the Nkuhuma pride in four of the sightings, two of which both males were present. It was only a matter of time before the coalition had an interaction with the Gowrie males. On the 2nd, a Gowrie male was mating with a lioness from the Kambula pride at Piccadilly Pans. Something was off about their behaviour. It soon became apparent why, there was a second male lion was in the area, a Northern Avoca male male. The Northern Avoca male chased the Gowrie male south before heading back north to Mlowathi Koppies. From here, he roared, and scent marked. The lioness from the Kambula pride sought him out, and they had an exciting interaction as she 'flirted' with him while he led her deeper into his territory, further north along the Mlowathi River past Senegal Bush. The males were mostly seen along the Mlowathi River north of the Tlebe Rocks Donga for the remainder of the month until the 28th, when both males were with two lionesses from the Kambula pride at Mlowathi Koppies.

May:
The two Northern Avoca males continue to spend the majority of their time along the Mlowathi River. After last month’s interaction between the one male and the younger Gowrie male, we have not seen an interaction between the two coalitions again. Both males were only seen together in three of the sightings and were in the presence of members of the Nkuhuma pride in five of the nine sightings. The first sighting was on the 1st when both males were with three lionesses from the Nkuhuma pride at Mlowathi Dam. The following day they were on a buffalo kill with the bulk of the Nkuhuma pride west of Mlowathi dam. The lions finished off the kill during the day, and both males were with three lionesses (Nkuhuma) west of Mlowathi Dam on the 3rd. A few days later, one male was at Mlowathi Dam (6th). On the 9th, a male was at Mlowathi Pans. The same male was with two lionesses from the Nkuhuma pride in Mlowathi open area on the 12th. On the 14th, one male was mating with a lioness from the Nkuhuma pride southeast of Mlowathi dam while his brother was west of them. The last sighting of the month was on the 22nd when a male was in the Mlowathi River south of Mlowathi Pans

[b]June:[/b]
The two Northern Avoca males continue to make their intentions clear along the Mlowathi River south to Campbell Koppies. When they are in the southern parts of their range, they roar and scent mark continuously. With very little response from the two Gowrie males, the two Northern Avoca males are getting more comfortable in these southern reaches of their territory. The first sighting of one of these males was on the 2nd at Mlowathi Dam. Overnight the brothers linked up and made their way south. The following day, both males were at Princess Alice Pans. This is the furthest south we have ever recorded this coalition. On the 4th, both males were with a lioness from the Kambula pride north of the Airstrip, and a couple of days later, the two males were with the same lioness at Senegal Bush. On the 8th, a male was at Mlowathi Dam. Two weeks passed without sightings of this coalition before both males were at Campbell Koppies on the 22nd. Reply