Other male lion coalitions from Masai Mara

[sanjay]

A beautiful story of Siena (The famous lioness from marsh pride) by Peter Rettig

GOODBYE SIENA
It is time to give up hope to see her again. The Iron Lady is gone!
The 3rd victim of the poisoning incident is the leading lioness of the Marsh Pride. On last Sunday afternoon, 6th of December 2015, remains of an adult lion have been found in the area of the crime. But the carcass has been mauled by hyenas to a degree that no proper ID could be made. As Siena is missing for 6 days now – and we got the information that she was last seen with her 3 sub adults, Charm and her 2 sub adults, Bibi and Tatu – we finally have to assume that Siena is no longer.

Siena was born into the Marsh Pride in the first half of 2005, so she is around 10.5 years old. She is along with Joy and Charm one of those 3 daughters of the Golden Four (Red, White Eye, Bibi and Lispy) called the Three Graces (becoming a Satellite Group of the Marsh Pride until 2010). Almost certainly she is the daughter of Red. The Graces are sisters/litter mates of the famous Notches (Notch II, Long, Caesar, Ron and Grimace).

Siena’s breeding success started in September 2009, when she gave birth to two females. Both females survived! These 2 females are members of the Breakaway Pride today, named Mapema/Musiara and Sila.

The Graces merged with the Marsh Pride in the first quarter of 2010 after their leading lioness RED was killed by the Maasai. After the death of Lispy in April 2011 and the demise of White Eye beginning of 2012 the Marsh Pride was facing a difficult time. Four new males (the Musketeers) had taken over the pride and Joy had left the pride to rescue her cubs from infanticide. Bibi (the last standing of the Golden Four) already was 14 years old at that point and Charm never intending to take a leading role, it was Siena being forced to keep the pride together. It took some time for her to take that role. But finally she did mid of 2012.

End of June 2012 she gave birth to 3 cubs and Siena raised all 3 to adulthood. The male (Red) and the 2 females (Yaya and Dada) are members of the Marsh Pride today. Beginning of 2014 Siena gave birth to 3 cubs again, 1 male and two females. And she managed to pull them through until she passed away. These 3 youngsters should be alive and have joined up with their older brother Red and other members of the Marsh Pride.

For the last 3.5 years Siena was the driving force of the Marsh Pride, she led the way and protected the territory. Siena was a skilled huntress and a fierce cat when need to be. Often she was found with fresh wounds from fights with other lions. Beginning of April 2014 she was badly injured by a Buffalo but pulled through with a helping hand of DSWT. It took a year for her wounds to heal! This year mid of September she was found with terrible wounds again, obviously sustained during a fight with other lions. It was a miracle she pulled through again, determined to raise her young and to protect her pride!

That she has been poisoned by Maasai herders is a disaster, leaving the pride with only one adult female – Charm. Without Siena the Marsh Pride faces very difficult times ahead!
Siena will never be forgotten! She wrote a long chapter in the Chronicles of the Marsh Pride, which will remembered as a time of success against the odds of the ever increasing pressure of the Maasai herders invading Marsh Pride Territory day & night. She was a distinctive looking, determined and powerful lioness. Rest in peace iron lady!

Since end of 2009 several members of the Marsh Pride have been killed by Maasai Herders. These are the devastating chronicles of a pride generating huge amounts of tourism dollars every year and should be the best protected animals in Africa:

- December 2009: Lioness Red, member of the “Golden Four”, poisoned; along
with her 3 cubs

- April 2011: Lioness Lispy, member of the “Golden Four”, speared

- January 2012: Male Lion Clawed; speared

- February 2012: Lioness White Eye, member of the “Golden Four”, speared;
along with one of her sub adult sons

- March/April 2014: one sub adult male and one sub adult female (son & daughter
of Mapema/Musiara); speared

- December 2015: Lioness Bibi, member of the "Golden Four"; poisoned

- December 2015: sub adult male Alan (son of Charm); poisoned


- December 2015: Lioness Siena; poisoned

Beside the listed casualties Bibi’s daughter Kabibi has also been speared in April 2014, but could be rescued by KWS/DSWT. And one of the Marsh Pride Males, the famous Scar, was obviously shot with a gun in April 2014 and could also be rescued by KW/DSWT.
In memory of Siena

*This image is copyright of its original author

Credit to: Peter Rettig Reply