Avoca male lions

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THROWBACK TUESDAY, on a MONDAY!

The Battle of Imbali – Matimbas vs Avoca Males -

- PART 1
One of the shortest nights of 2017 would become one of the longest nights for two of the Matimba males on the Mluwati concession.  The confrontation between them and the three Avoca males had been building up for a couple of days already.  The Avoca males spent three days on a buffalo kill just off the S36 during the previous week, while the Matimbas were somewhere in the North of the concession.
We realized that there was a showdown looming when the two Matimbas showed up at the Imbali waterhole early on the morning of the 20th of December.  They declared their arrival with loud roars and in the distance, there was an ominous answer from the three Avoca males.  The Matimbas flopped down in the shade but stayed alert and watchful as they heard the roars of the Avoca males getting closer.  Our guides followed the approaching Avoca males until they too, lay down and went quiet.  The scene had been set, but the action stopped, as both groups of lions decided to rest during the heat of the day.

Picture: One of the Matimbas listening to the approaching roars of the Avoca Males.

*This image is copyright of its original author

- PART 2
Later that afternoon the roars from both groups of lions can be heard as the Matimbas against all odds win a small intimidation victory driving the Avoca males back North towards Ridge Road.  It becomes very obvious that one of the Matimba males is severely hampered by an injured back leg.  Even though he can’t keep up with his stronger coalition partner he joins in the roaring battle and it looks like the Avoca males are retreating.  The stronger of the two Matimbas shows us again why they are such legends to all that know them and have spent time with them.  He walks head on towards the Avoca males, his partner lying down as his leg injury slows him down.

Picture: One of the Matimbas resting

*This image is copyright of its original author

- PART 3
The Avoca males in the meantime look very focused and calm, watching every move the two older males make.  They are attached at the hip at this point, sticking close together.  The lions are now close enough to see each other but the Avoca males move into a very thick patch of bush with no visibility.  The stronger of the two Matimbas follow, roaring as he goes into the thickets.  The injured Matimba watches on and drags himself to his feet trying to follow with wobbly steps.  The guides are unable to follow through the dense bush but it looks like the Matimbas are standing their ground against a much younger and stronger coalition.
No one knows exactly what happened during the night but it becomes evident that the Avoca males were not retreating when we hear them roaring early the next morning very close to Imbali.  It seems they might have separated the Matimbas on purpose by trying to draw away the stronger one.  The guides find them lying just south of the lodge.  Less than a hundred meters away, one of the Matimba males is also found.  He has been injured and he does not move much.  The guides leave him alone and we close the area to let nature take its course.  There is no sign of the second Matimba male but he could possibly just be lying in the thick bush close by.
The Avoca males spend the whole day sleeping in the exact same place and as night falls they roar only once and then silently get up.  Miraculously there is no sign of the Matimba male at the spot that he was last seen in the morning.  The Avoca Males come to drink at the Imbali waterhole, then move purposefully south towards where the Matimba male was last seen.  Late during the night, we hear the roars of the three males again, this time further to the south-west.  We don’t see any of the lions the next day and we don’t know what the fate of the Matimbas are.  On the morning of the 23rd, we find the Avoca males in the eastern section of the concession, close to the S36.  We also find two sets of lion tracks heading south-west down the Mluwati river…

Pictures: One of the Matimbas walking in to face the younger males + The injured Matimba looking on.  
Pictures courtesy of field guide Wesley Lovell and guest Cois de Wit.

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

- PART 4
The challengers – Avoca Males coalition.

These young males first walked onto the Imbali concession at the end of November 2017.  We suspected that they could possibly be looking to move into this territory permanently.  It was confirmed that these males came from further north in Greater Kruger Park area and they were known as the Avoca male coalition.  The Mluwati males who are resident males on the concession have recently been active only in the southern part of the concession and to the north the two old Matimbas were keeping a low profile.  The perfect opportunity for these three to establish a territory of their own.  Over the next couple of weeks, it became clear that they meant business as they became more vocal and started scent marking everywhere they went.  They killed a buffalo just off the S36 on the far eastern side of the concession a couple of days before the confrontation with the Matimbas.

- Part 5 (more imágenes)

The nighttime images show the Avoca Males just before the confrontation with the Matimbas, and listening to the Matimabs roar.

Photos courtesy of field guide Wesley Lovell and guest Cois de Wit. #imbalimoments

*This image is copyright of its original author

Credit:  Imbali Safari Lodge Reply

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