Lions of Sabi Sands

[Tonpa]

Hey guys, I emailed singita sabi sands and they sent me the wildlife reports for January and February (they are having some problems on their website so can't post them on there)

January

• The Mhangene Pride have been a little hard to come by of late as they have explored the far reaches of their territory. Sadly, there are only three cubs, with the youngest suspected to have died within the month. On a positive note, we suspect that one of the older females is now denning, raising a brandnew litter somewhere within the central parts of our property.
• The Styx and Nkuhuma male lions have been a prominent sighting this month, having several successful hunts including another juvenile giraffe. Their bond is growing, although still nomadic it’s an exciting time to witness their development.
• The Matimba male lion was seen several times, once on a giraffe kill (made by the Styx and Nkuhuma lions) and again mid-month at the base of a marula tree, clawing the trunk to reach a hoisted impala kill. 

February

• At the beginning of the month the Mhangene pride were comprised of six females, three cubs and the Othawa male. This changed on the morning of the 21st February with the arrival of the four N'waswitshaka lions. The Mhangene pride scattered, and the event left us with great concern regarding the wellbeing of the pride and cubs. In the week that followed, the pride slowly re-grouped, but with a chilling discovery… only one cub seems to have survived, and the Othawa male is limping. The four males have returned back to southern Sabi Sand, but will they be back?
• The Othawa sub-adults (one female and three males) were viewed a few times this month in the western parts of the property.
• The Styx and Nkuhuma coalition have been found throughout the north and central parts of the property, still nomadic and not marking a territory. 

"On the 21st February, four new lions walked onto our property – The N'waswitshaka lions. The sighting started when we located two of the six Mhangene lionesses at the far south-eastern waterhole in the reserve. As we stopped the vehicle, it was clear that these lionesses were highly distressed, glancing back every few seconds and then stumbling forward in a panicked dash. Confused anxiety whirled around us like a thick smoky cloud only to be abruptly broken by the loud, unmistakable gut-wrenching roar of mature male lions. Fleeting paws ran past us and we continued to the source of the chaos. As we rounded the corner onto our main road, we were met by the four N'waswitshaka lions. Projecting a dominance and supremacy with every step, puzzle pieces began to fall together and the shock and fear resonating from the lionesses began to make sense. Could this be the dawn of a new era of lions at Singita Sabi Sand? " Reply