The Matimba coalition

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Fredymrt

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#623

09-10-2017, 02:48 PM

Saturday, 16 February 2013
Sightings Update: 7 - 11 February 2013

Credits to Darren and the safari team
Photo & Video editing by Darren Roberts-York

Koppies females

It’s been a bit difficult finding these girls lately as it seem they have moved in a westerly direction into gabbro plains. Unfortunately this is clay soil and with all the water around, it’s as good as trying to drive on an oil slick.

We did have one sighting in the last four days but all does not seem well unfortunatley. When we eventually managed to find the youngest female, she was in pretty bad shape. We have been waiting patiently for her to show us her cubs, but when she was found she was no longer lactating and her condition looked a bit worse for wear. She seemed skinny and had obviously gone through a tough time.

A few things go through my mind as to what possibly happened. It may have simply been another predator that found her cubs and killed them. Another reason might be that she has been on her own now for a good two months, as lionesses distance themselves from the rest of the pride to have their cubs. This time away allows for the lioness to imprint her scent and sound on the cubs. However, this is also the most difficult time as they have to kill for themselves, by themselves. For a social hunter this is not easy! The second theory is therefore that she wasn’t able to kill often enough to sustain her lactation and in the process weakening herself. It’s not uncommon for young mothers to abandon their cubs.

Either way, we are not sure what happened, but it does seem that she has lost her cubs.

Matimba males & Nkuhuma females

*This image is copyright of its original author

We've had three sightings of these males in the last four days and as always are providing us with fantastic viewings. One concerning sighting was of one Matimba male close to Vulture pan. This is usually an area that the Sizanani males move to when the Matimba males venture into their territory. Hopefully these incursions deeper and deeper into Sizanani territory don't become habitual.

Ginger

*This image is copyright of its original author

We also found (Ginger) the blonde male with the three Nkuhuma females just off Pungwe access and the two darker males were found close to south gate.

It seems that a pattern of their movements have emerged. The three blonde males(Ginger, Hairy belly, Blue eyes) have the southern Manyeleti firmly in their grasp and have completely tamed the Nkuhuma females. The two darker males (Slit Nose and Mono) dominate the central Manyeleti and also interacts with the these females but also the Koppies girls. Induna, the oldest male, moves further east into the Kruger area but at this stage he is only awarding us with infrequent sightings.

*This image is copyright of its original author

Nkhuhuma female movements

*This image is copyright of its original author

Matimba male movements

Sunday, 24 February 2013
Sightings Update: 11 – 18 February 2013

This has really been a week where the pieces of the puzzle have come together. Once again the lion sightings have been interesting, but there was also a cheetah sighting and a few leopard sightings to top the cake. We had one good storm and the Nwasitsontso River flowed once again, if only for a few hours.

Lions
Koppies females

*This image is copyright of its original author

These girls have been keeping a low profile since the Matimba males were with them. It’s possible that the additional pressure coming from these males and the disappearance of the Sizanani males has turned their world upside down. Mpho had a sighting of the Koppies females to the south of Mantwan Mphisi pan where they were moving south west towards Ndlulamiti road. After crossing the small drainage line, they moved into thick bush and he was unable to relocate them.
This sighting, however short, tells us that they are content to stay put and not run with their males, the Sizanani males.

The Matimba males & Nkuhuma females

These males have once again delivered exceptional sightings in the last week and these sightings have confirmed the foothold that they have in the Manyeleti.

*This image is copyright of its original author

The first sighting we had this week was between South gate and Pungwe access. They were on a kudu kill with two of the Nkuhuma females and two of their young male cubs. At first we thought that the moment the kill was finished, the males would try to find the young males and kill them. The females were really relaxed and the thought that these were Matimba cubs never crossed our minds. To our surprise the males were not aggressive towards the youngsters, except when they approached the food too closely. We are therefore happy to announce and introduce the young Matimba males. These cubs are exceptionally lucky because the area they live in is secured by their powerful fathers.

*This image is copyright of its original author

These youngsters are real characters and showed the normal curiosity of young lions. They approached the vehicle, sniffing and trying to get as close to it as they can. It almost seemed like they were egging each other on. After that they started playing and like true brothers, they had to play with the same stick.

*This image is copyright of its original author

Three more Nkuhuma females were found around S8 and Pod Mahogony accompanied by nine little surprises! These must also be Matimba cubs as it is slap bang in the middle of their territory. Slowly but surely they are settling the lion politics that has unsettled this area for such a long time. Hopefully they’ll dominate this area for a while to come.

The same three Nkuhuma females were found a few days later on Metsikitsoro plains. Their demeanor was intense and they began hunting a mixed herd on the plains. Impala, Wildebeest and Zebra were all over the plains and the females were using the wind to their advantage. We watched as they started to set up a classic lion ambush. Unfortunately for the lions, the wind changed and the game was up. We followed them for a while as they started moving south again, back to their cubs.