Lions of Sabi Sands

[Gijima]

(11-12-2021, 03:20 AM)Thierry Wrote:

(11-12-2021, 01:31 AM)Gijima Wrote: They absolutely do. Males lions will scope out a territory for weeks or months before making a move. They are far more intelligent that we give them credit for. And the foaming at the mouth is only seen when males are behaving territorial, not when they are sneaking around.

To say that, it would be necessary to be able to establish that a lion is capable not only of implementing tactics, which he knows how to do, during hunting in particular, but also of strategy. And in the particular case of an attempt to conquer a territory in coalition to be able to communicate on this subject with its partners.
To plan an action weeks in advance, the lions would have to be able to hold abstract reasoning, which is rather improbable.
They would also need a complex communication capacity, an evolved language to tackle these abstract topics. And they would only use it on this occasion, since in everyday life, they are unable to do so ?
These things are accessible to very few animal species.


It is more likely that the Nawas started their movement instinctively, in an attempt to find new females, and that the rest, for the most part, is a matter of circumstances.

I never said they sit down and plan the way humans might on a white board. Obviously the lions coordinate and work together but it’s at a different level than us. But to say lions just bumbled into Londolozi with no intention is wrong. 

Did you listen to the Londolozi guides explain how many days the N’was have been moving through that area quietly, assessing it as a viable area? Yes they follow their instincts and yes a lot of what happens will be based on circumstances like running into another group of lions they didn’t expect to find. 

My original response was to someone saying this wasn’t a takeover attempt. I guess every ranger, guide and lodge manager is wrong and know nothing (since these are their words) but us experts online, many of whom haven’t even seen a lion in the wild, know better? I’m going by what was described by the guides there who have been following coalitions, in person, for decades. Reply