Lions of Sabi Sands

[Tshokwane]

Credits to Blaine Moolman - Dulini Private Game Reserve.

Through the Guide's Eye:


The arrival of new lions is always a tense time. Two unknown males have found their way into the Western Sector and it has caused us some concern regarding the three young cubs of the Othawa Pride.

Males who are not the fathers of lion cubs often kill offspring so that the females will go back into breeding condition, and they can then use their short time in control of an area to raise cubs that carry their own genes.

That is why, when we found out that a wildebeest the Othawa pride had killed was stolen by the imposters, we were very concerned, as the two groups of lions were only 30 meters from each other.

The young Othawa male is quite a bit over two years old now, and stands taller than the adult lionesses of the pride. He recently played an almost solo role in the killing of a big, healthy buffalo cow and is really coming of age.

Here he showed us that he has no qualms in taking on lions much older and bigger than himself, though with quite some fearsome backup. After the video ends, he walked around the males and produced what was almost a full roar as he circled them. He initiated this whole episode and carried it on for a while after the video ends. The mother of the cubs was also incredible, and we all feel that those little ones are a lot safer after seeing that. What a mother and what a lion pride!

That night, the Majingilane male lions returned west, and there have only been tracks of the two unknown males seen since then. One could say that order has been restored.
Thanks so much to Marissa Groenewald for capturing this for us, as it was a big marker in an incredibly tough lion pride's story.

Also, crank that volume up to a level!

Click on it to play.

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