Lions of Sabi Sands

[BA0701]

(02-09-2023, 06:55 AM)Mapokser Wrote: @sik94 No doubt.

When I was getting into lion dynamics I used to think "how can anyone hate the Mapogos? They're the coolest, so aggressive and merciless killing everything", now I see the PCM slaughtering the cubs I like and think "man no wonder even the lodges were vocal in criticizing the Mapogos, it must have been horrible to follow lion dynamics back then".

These PCM are only two males, 5yo, but have a territory that once was all the 6 Mapogos had, and later what 4 of them were content with. They killed 4/6 Othawa subs, at least 1 Mangheni sub but potentially more, at least 2 adult females I think? Tsalala and I heard a Nkuhuma female, not sure.

They easily dominated the Tumbelas ( 1 was sick tbf but still ) and then the Birminghams, I remember that back in the day quite some people thought Nhenha and NK were the stronger coalition, an old and experienced Birmingham, still in amazing condition, and the prime NK male, older than the PCM but still with the power of youth.

But when they actually clashed, it wasn't even a challenge for them. And now they finally got them and might have left Nhenha to die.

They have control over 3 prides, Nkuhuma Breakaways, Ximhungwe, and Mangheni.

They seem to be invincible, but lion dynamics are ever changing, and they may face potential strong competition in the future like BDM, Ndhzengas, Kambulas and Talamatis... Or maybe a buffalo injury, snake bite, there's no way to know.

I'd like for them to at least raise the next generation of Manghenis, their 2 Nkuhuma cubs and raise some Ximhungwe cubs, though at the same time I pray that the remaining Othawas can avoid them and other dangers until they get into estrus, which seems more and more unlikely now that all their 3 prides seems to be living in the west.

At this point if Manghenis don't return to their original territory, PCM will abandon Singita as there's nothing for them there but meaningless land to patrol. And if they are constantly in the west, it'll be nearly impossible for the other lions ( NK, Nhenha, Tumbela and Othawas ) to avoid them.

For me, the Mjejanes had that same air of invincibility about them. I remember thinking, these three massive, aggressive males, in their primes wouldn't be bested for years to come. How quickly things changed, which served a valuable lesson to me, that things in the lions world are so incredibly brutal, that literally no lion is safe from an early demise, regardless of size, aggression, or previously won battles.

In fact it makes me appreciate what the Mapogos were able to accomplish, in terms of longevity, so much more. A female lion researcher in Brothers in Blood made the perfect statement regarding the Mapogos, when she stated that they were simply trying to be the best lions they could be. The fact that another lion, Loonkito, continues to survive at the age of 19 years old blows my mind, and after being a participant in the longest, most brutal lion fight I have ever seen, a fight in which when I watched it, I honestly did not think either lion was going to survive long in the aftermath. Just like every other living creature, eventually all lions will fall, but some of them have such a never say die, always refusing to quit, attitude as to demand our respect and appreciation. Personally I respect and appreciate all lions for the tough lives they all lead, in such overwhelmingly brutal conditions, where nothing is easy, and everything in the bush wants to kill you, but there are some who, even in such conditions, still stand out from the pack. Reply