The Matimba coalition

[Fredymrt]

Sunday, 17 March 2013
Sightings Update: 25 February - 4 March 2013

The biggest news from the Bush this week has most definitely been the lion dynamics that is still on its head. The interaction between the Koppies and Nkuhuma females continues and proves the saying, “the only thing you can expect in the bush in the unexpected”.
Lion

Matimba males & Koppies females

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

These males have been spending most of their time around the Main dam area. Their attentions have moved from chasing the Sizanani males to cashing in on their prize, the Koppies females! One of the males has been mating with the oldest Koppies female for about four days during this week. We are hoping that it results in the birth of some cubs to grow the Koppies pride, which at three members strong, is in serious need of growth.

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

Since the big incursion into the Sizanani territory, they have mated with two of the Koppies females, but are yet to mate with the youngest Koppies girl. At the moment she is still looking fairly thin and is in no condition to mate. The one big positive that has come from her ordeal, is that she is more experienced and is showing more confidence by standing up for herself in the face of Matimba aggression. The truth of the matter is that she is the future of the Koppies pride and needs to ensure their future as a bloodline. With Matimba strength and a certain amount of security, her position is stronger, if she can pull herself out of her current state.

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

The three blonde males seem to have moved south again and we haven’t seen them this week. We believe that Induna (the Matimba with the stumpy tail) is still spending most of his time in the Kruger National Park.

The Nkuhumas

*This image is copyright of its original author

The females with the cubs are spending a lot of their time in the deep south and south of our border in the Sabi Sands. We believe that these cubs have been sired by the blonde Matimba’s and a total of twelve cubs are moving around with six Nkuhuma females. The four remaining Nkuhuma’s are the females we’ve been seeing interacting with the Koppies females in the central Manyeleti. It has largely been peaceful interactions with a few moments of aggression, especially aimed at the two young males

At one of the sightings, the middle Koppies female launched into one of the young males sending the Nkuhuma’s running. A Koppies girl chased after them and a very excited Matimba male was in tow, charging after all the chaos. It is going to be interesting to see what happens. If they do merge, it could be proof of a historical lineage of lions in the area.



Monday, 25 March 2013
Sightings Update: 4 - 19 March 2013

The bush is really starting to dry up and within the next month it will once again begin thinning out. We have noticed that some of the migratory birds are starting to flock and will be heading north very soon.



The resident animals are preparing for another brutal dry season and it’s going to be a time of plenty for the predators. Buffalo herds will start aggregating close to permanent water sources, making them easy targets for the prides of Lion roaming the Manyeleti.

*This image is copyright of its original author

These males have been in the central Manyeleti most of the time. They are still split, with the blonde males in the south, the dark males in the central Manyeleti and the singular Induna male in the east.

*This image is copyright of its original author

Most of our sightings have been of the dark males and their interactions with the Nkuhuma and Koppies females. The middle Koppies female brought down an adult buffalo bull on Helens road and was joined by one of the dark Matimba’s. They have most of the central reserve covered but are continuously pushing further north and west. They were also seen at Khoka moya dam in the north, an area the Sizanani males favoured whenever the Matimba’s pushed them. I’m sure that it’s safe to say that the take-over is complete and the Matimba’s are claiming it all!

One of the dark males was also seen on a Buffalo calf kill at the shooting range in the far east of the reserve.These females are still separated and the bulk of their pride still resides in the south with all the cubs fine and looking good. Fritz had a great sighting of the three females and nine cubs on a Zebra kill on Pod mahogany open area.

There was some bad news for the Nkuhuma’s though. The oldest Nkuhuma female was killed by other lions at Main dam. We suspect that the guilty lions were the Koppies girls. She was found early morning with clear signs of a lion attack. They were at the Ntzaka sewerage area the previous evening, while the Koppies girls were less than a kilometre away at Main dam. I suppose that all the interactions were bound to boil over at some point and lion politics, in all shapes and forms, is extremely violent. When Fritz returned to the area in the afternoon, he found evidence of drag marks where Crocodiles have dragged her into Main dam. This female had it tough during her lifetime. Her pride was terrorised first by the Mapogo’s, then the Majingalanes and finally the Matimba’s. During her time, the Nkuhuma’s have been split by all these large coalitions of male lions. They have however seem to have found some peace in the reign of the Matimba’s. RIP big girl, your legacy continues!

*This image is copyright of its original author

We also had a sighting on S6 open area and ended off the week with these females and a Matimba on a Buffalo kill at the shooting range. We think that this was probably a Nkuhuma kill taken by a Matimba.Koppies females


The Koppies fermales were seen with the Matimba males on three occasions. They shared a Buffalo kill on Helens road and were together on separate occasions at Malcoms bridge and close to Ingwe manzi. As mentioned before, we suspect that they killed the old Nkuhuma female, but these things need to happen as it establishes territory and dominance.

*This image is copyright of its original author

It will be interesting to watch what happens to these females in the next few months. How will they continue to interact with the Matimba’s? Also, how will they continue to interact with the Nkuhuma’s? Are they possibly related? We have so many questions and only time and timing will answer these.


Sungula pride

*This image is copyright of its original author

Our youngest pride has returned! They seem to move mostly in the northern areas of the reserve. Sightings of this pride are still sparse and they are still fairly skittish. Because we’re seeing them more often, we have decided to name them. Previously referred to as “The New Pride” we have now named them the “Sungula pride”, meaning beginning in Zulu. We know that they are related to the Koppies pride as the females have branding from veterinary checks in the Kruger National Park. They are a break-away group from the original Orpen super pride.

*This image is copyright of its original author

Their first sighting in a few months was on Red road where they took down a Zebra. We still have to work very carefully with these cats in order to establish trust. Soon enough we’ll have them paying the rent and getting some nice photo’s to show and tell.

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