Lions of Sabi Sands

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Singita update

• At the beginning of May, the Othawa male ventured east of Singita towards Mala Mala. For an adult male, it’s common to expand territory range, testing new areas for potential growth and eyeing out competitors. Unfortunately though, for the six-year-old male, this adventure was a fatal one. One of our guides found the carcass of an adult lion close to the boundary to Mala Mala and with dental examination it has been confirmed that the carcass belongs to the Othawa male. Presumably this male ran into the two Birmingham males (these males were last seen around the same area). Although the latter are much older than the Othawa male, they hold much more experience and this potentially cost the Othawa male his life. 
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  *This image is copyright of its original author
  
  

• The Mhangeni Pride are unaware of the fate of their dominant male figure – the Othawa male, and have been seen frequently throughout the central and southern regions of the reserve. On one misty May morning, the pride were seen stalking buffalo and successfully brought down a fully grown buffalo bull. A few hours later, upon revisiting the scene something incredible happened. Not only were the six lionesses and 10-month-old cub present, but also seven new cubs! Four cubs are aged about three months old, and three cubs are about two months old. We knew of four cubs from last month but since the sighting on 8 April, these haven’t been seen since. With lionesses typically hiding newborn cubs away until about six weeks old, it’s unsurprising that these youngsters haven’t yet made their debut. We are so excited to follow their progress and we hope they survive! (Photograph by Nick Du Plessis)
• The Othawa Break-away Pride, comprising of three sub-adult males and one female have been seen on a number of occasions this month. One particularly exciting sighting started with following their movements through the central/western section, when they suddenly bumped into the Tamba male leopard. The leopard had made an impala kill and had hoisted it into a marula tree but upon seeing the lions, he sprinted away, leaving the kill to the lions to stare at. Although lions don’t typically climb trees to retrieve carcasses, when a free meal is available why not give it a go? It was with complete astonishment that with some determination and hard work, the impala kill was retrieved from the branches of the marula tree and consumed by the pride members. 
• The Plains Camp males (two males) made an appearance on our property for the first time. They were seen in the very far north.
• There is also the link to their tribute to fallen Othawa male:  
  https://assets.ctfassets.net/wds1hqrprqxb/4NihTGmJMglbnafOd3Q1Sl/d1d480188808d582f97f77e0e3cbb0d8/SSS_Wildlife_Journal_May_2021.pdf
  
  

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