Lions of Sabi Sands

[Tshokwane]

12 cubs in the Mhangene pride! Article by Joshua Bell - Singita Sabi Sand.

Excitement among the guiding team has been running at fever pitch for the last couple of months at Singita Sabi Sand! It all began with a sighting of a single lioness from the Mhangene pride in an extremely inaccessible part of the Sand River. While that might not sound entirely out of the ordinary to those reading this, the guide and tracker who found the lioness that day also noticed that the animal had suckle marks around her teats. This could only mean one thing; she was a mother!

Lion cubs have all the odds stacked against them from birth; hyenas, leopards, cold spells and even other male lions who have not fathered the youngsters can all spell an untimely end to their short lives and it is estimated that 80% of lion cubs die within the first two months from birth. Even one new addition each year is a very special event and a cause for celebration! With much jubilation (and a diligent effort from the tracking team), a sighting of the lioness with two young cubs occurred a couple of weeks later, the animals lying out in the open on one very cold winter morning. Little did we know that this was to be the last sighting we had of any of them for quite a while and naturally we feared the worst.

We didn’t see the animals for several weeks bar the odd set of tracks from the lioness around that same hidden spot in the river. Then eventually we saw two sets of adult lion tracks and conspiracy ensued! We thought perhaps the adult females of the Mhangene pride were separating from their sub-adult current offspring and enjoying some time by the river as hunting opportunities were plentiful there during the dry season. Another sighting confirmed that there were actually all four adult lionesses together by the river, in the same spot as before. And we noticed ALL of them had suckle marks! The two older cubs presented themselves again, we observed with relief, but it was many weeks before we saw any sign of others. We thought perhaps the others may have died and the lionesses were sharing suckling duties for the two oldest cubs, a common trait among lions in the same pride. 

A few fateful weeks and much searching later (just in case, of course) led us to an area known as ‘Ranger’ Rock’ on the northern bank of the Sand River, almost completely inaccessible for a Land Rover and the perfect place for four potential lion mothers to raise their newborns during the first weeks of their lives. I will never forget listening to the sighting being called in on the radio that day: “Stations, we have located 4 lionesses of the Mhangene pride and 12 cubs of varying ages playing on the ridge below Ranger’s Rock”. 

A colleague quickly called back, “Last station, please confirm you have located… (pause)... twelvecubs?”

And there you have it! That was the precise moment that guests, guides, trackers, lodge staff and senior management alike had their hopes and emotions resting with the survival of the 12 perfect new additions to the Mhangene pride.

No-one can predict the future of course, but at least we can rest assured that they have 4 very experienced and protective mothers who have chosen the perfect densite to give them every possible chance to take on and survive in the extraordinary concession that we are fortunate to spend time in every day.

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