Lions of Sabi Sands

[Potato]

Mala Mala 
May:
THE STYX PRIDE = 9
 1 ADULT FEMALE 11 YEARS 4 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE 8 YEARS 4 MONTHS
2 SUB ADULTS 2 YEARS 7 MONTHS
 3 SUB ADULTS 2 YEARS 3 MONTHS
 2 CUBS 1 YEAR 10 MONTHS
 EYREFIELD (5 sightings) We have both bad news and good news to report. Our first sighting of this pride was along Accipiter Road on the 12th but only one lioness and 5 of the youngsters were present. They were up to seven on the 14th at Mlowathi Dam. The other lioness was viewed alone on the 21st near Sibuye Road. She, and another sub adult had rejoined the pride by the 28th. There was no further sign of the 10th member, one of the cubs, who we now assume is dead. We can’t say for sure but suspect that a confrontation with the Torchwood pride is what led to their separation and the likely death of a pride member. One thing is for sure; this turbulent chapter in the Styx pride’s long and illustrious history is far from over. However, the good news is that they seem to have made a good progress in their battle against mange; a skin disease spread by mites. 

THE TORCHWOOD PRIDE = 10*
 1 ADULT FEMALE UNKOWN AGE
 8 SUB ADULT FEMALES UNKNOWN AGES (TBC)
 1 SUB ADULT MALE UNKNOWN AGE (TBC) EYREFIELD, MALAMALA.
 * We believe that the pride’s full complement is 17 and that a ‘breakaway’ is in progress. (5 sightings) Sightings of the Torchwood pride have, in recent months, become a regular feature on MalaMala Game Reserve. This consistency earned them this official spot in our monthly reports. Their movements remained consistent but the number of sightings did dip slightly. They were viewed in many of the places 5 Compiled by the rangers of MalaMala Game Reserve we’ve viewed them before, with one exception. On the 2nd they were found just north of the Ngoboswaan Donga. This is the furthest south and west that we’ve seen them as they continue push the limits of the Kambula pride’s territory. We have already mentioned their potential confrontation with the Styx pride. A second confrontation appears to have taken place on the 15th when we found these lions roaring and jogging southwards on Old Borehole Road. They were chasing other lions that we never caught a glimpse of but we’re sure that it was the Styx pride. These lions are regarded highly by the ranging team and we hope that they do indeed make the northeastern section of our reserve their home. 

THE GOWRIE MALES = 3 
1 ADULT MALE ± 8 YEARS 5 MONTHS
 2 ADULT MALES ± 7 YEARS 5 MONTHS
 EYREFIELD, MALAMALA - DOMINANT OVER THE STYX PRIDE AND THE KAMBULA PRIDE First encounter: September 2015. (37 sightings) Sightings of this coalition increased substantially from that of last month. As we mentioned earlier, they spent the vast majority of their time with the Kambula pride and have fathered yet another litter. They also continued to mate with the lioness that does not have cubs, yet. One of the males is still not in good health and hasn’t been for a while. His condition seems to be getting worse, albeit slowly. We can’t help but think back to the Matshapiri male who died near Campbell Koppies a few years ago for there appear to be several similarities with regard to symptoms. We believe that bovine tuberculosis(BTB) is the cause. BTB is a slow-progressing disease. The estimated time from infection to death is between two and five years. The majority of lions appear healthy. Lions with advanced BTB may show symptoms like swollen joints, slow-healing wounds, poor coat condition, weight loss, coughing and difficulty breathing. The male is currently showing signs of the symptoms in bold.

June:
THE KAMBULA PRIDE = 22
 3 ADULT FEMALES ± 6 YEARS 3 MONTHS
 3 ADULT FEMALES ± 6 YEARS 0 MONTHS 
3 CUBS 1 YEAR 0 MONTHS
3 CUBS 11 MONTHS 
2 CUBS 10 MONTHS
 3 CUBS 9 MONTHS
 5 CUBS 1 MONTH MALAMALA,
 WESTERN FLOCKFIELD (27 sightings) Last month we reported the exciting news that a fifth litter of cubs had been born and we can now confirm that it is a litter of five! We had to wait until the 24th to get our first good look at all the newcomers but it was worth the wait! The sighting took place on the prominent rocks just south of West Street Bridge which made for excellent viewing in a spectacular setting. In general, the sightings tally of the Kambula pride dipped significantly from that of last month’s total. We had expected these lions to spend more time along the Sand River as waterholes dry up and game is drawn to the perennial water source but said waterholes have taken longer to dry up than initially anticipated. We viewed them with a wildebeest kill on the 18th, a nyala on the 25th and they stole an impala kill from the Accipiter male on the 16th. One of the 12 older cubs sustained an injury to its back last month and it appears to it have succumbed to the injury as only 11 cubs were viewed with the bulk of the pride. It comes as no surprise that the three members of the Gowrie male coalition were viewed with the pride on numerous occasions. They continue to mate with the ‘cub-less’ lioness. If the Kambula pride do indeed spend the coming months in the central and eastern parts of their territory then we could be in for some fireworks… The Torchwood pride has recently been viewed in the areas around Buffalo Bush Dam, Tshabalala Road and more recently along the Ngoboswaan Donga. The latter two are both well and truly within Kambula pride territory. Furthermore, as water becomes an increasingly scarce commodity, the Torchwood pride will most likely look towards the Sand River to quench their thirst. The chances of an encounter between these two groups of lions will increase even more when/if herds of buffalo return, entering MalaMala from the Kruger National Park and make a beeline for the Sand River. Herds have regularly used the roads along the Matshapiri River as their ‘highway to water’ and it is very possible that any bovines using this route will attract the attentions of both prides

THE TORCHWOOD PRIDE = 10 (17)* 
1 ADULT FEMALE UNKOWN AGE 
8 SUB ADULT FEMALES UNKNOWN AGES (TBC)
 1 SUB ADULT MALE UNKNOWN AGE (TBC)
 EYREFIELD, MALAMALA. * We believe that the pride’s full complement is 17 and that a ‘breakaway’ is in progress. (6 sightings) The month got off to a great start when we found all 17 members of this pride with a buffalo kill in Clarendon Open Area. This was the first time that we had viewed them all together. There were five young cubs and this could be the reason that the we’ve been viewing only a portion of the pride. Things returned 5 Compiled by the rangers of MalaMala Game Reserve to normal after that as we saw 10 members on the 4th, 6 between the 8th and the 11th and 8 on the 20th. A breakaway may still be on the cards as the sub adults get older. These lions are regarded highly by the ranging team and we hope that they do indeed make the northeastern section of our reserve their home. 


Torchwood pride  is causing havoc. Styx pride is down at least 1 sub adult if not 2 as I mentioned couple of days ago. Birmingham males produced too much  daughters in the north and that is what comes from it. There is not enough space for everyone and the Styx pride is first victim of it :

Full raports you can find there:
https://www.malamala.com/game-reports/ Reply