The Birmingham Males

[Potato]

Since Mala Mala is deleting their raports from time to time I think it will be good to make copy paste of it.

2020:

January:
Sightings of this coalition increased by seven this month. The two surviving members continue to spend the vast majority of their time with the Kambula pride. They also continued to mate with the lioness that does not have cubs, yet. They have enjoyed a virtually unchallenged reign over much of our reserve since they took control but the winds of change may be quietly gathering themselves in the form of the northern 7 Compiled by the rangers of MalaMala Game Reserve Avoca males who have been seen venturing into the northern parts of Gowrie male territory.

A ‘mini’ storm swept over the reserve in the early hours of Sunday morning. This allowed for excellent hunting conditions which the Marthly lioness took full advantage of. She brought down a wildebeest near MalaMala Camp and her cub joined her at the carcass. Unwanted company loomed nearby in the form of a Gowrie male and Kambula lioness. The mating pair were found only a few hundred meters away and it was only a matter of time before they caught wind of the feast. The Kambula lioness approached first and the Marthly lioness immediately dashed off with her cub. However, on Monday morning we were surprised to find that the Marthly pride were back at the carcass with the Gowrie male and there was so sign of the other female, initially... She would return and when she did another surprise waited for us. This time the mother and cub did not flee. In fact, for a short period, all 4 lions seemed to coexist. The truce did not last. The two lionesses got into a brawl and chaos erupted. Luckily the cub managed to keep out of harm’s way. The rest of the Kambula pride and the other Gowrie male were hunting wildebeest and zebra at West Street Pans.

February:
The two surviving members continue to spend the vast majority of their time with the Kambula pride. They also continued to mate with the lioness that does not have cubs, yet. They have enjoyed a virtually unchallenged reign over much of our reserve since they took control but the winds of change may be quietly gathering themselves in the form of the northern Avoca males who have been seen venturing into the northern parts of Gowrie male territory. 

March:
These two males remain the dominant force of the reserve with much of their territory remaining unchallenged. For the most part the males are seen with the Kambula Pride. It’s not often we see them alone and if we do it isn’t long before they reunite with the pride. Of the 16 sightings of these two males they were only seen together on three occasions (12th, 18th, 21st) and each time it was with the entire Kambula Pride. Only in two sightings did we see one of the males alone (8th & 15th). The other 11 sightings of these males they were seen apart and with members of the Kambula Pride.

April:
As is often the case, these two males spent their time with the Kambula Pride. This month the two males were not seen if not following the pride. Both brothers were seen mating with the lioness that has no cubs. For sightings of the Gowrie males please refer to the write up on the Kambula Pride:

Members of the Kambula Pride were seen on 14 of the 30 days this month. Of the 17 sightings, this pride was accompanied by the Gowrie males in all but two sightings. As was the case in the month of March the female yet to have cubs was again seen mating with the Gowrie males this month. We have good reason to believe she is unable to conceive. The female without cubs was seen with one of the Gowrie males on the 5th at the Ngoboswan Donga. The entire pride and both males were together on the 6th at drum crossing and then again at the sausage spot the following day. On the 10th, five females, all the cubs and a Gowrie male were seen along the eastern bank of the Matshapiri River south of Matshapiri Open Area. From here the pride moved north without a male and were found near Fred’s tree on the 11th. The other lioness and one of the Gowrie males were seen mating on the Airstrip. the following day the pride continued north and were found near Stwise in the presence of a Gowrie male. The mating pair were still around the airstrip. On the 13th the mating pair had crossed east through the Sand River and were found near the remains of an impala ram at Piccadilly Pans. On the 14th the pride was found near the Kapen breakfast spot without a male, while the mating pair were mating south of the causeway. For the second half of the month the pride continued with the loop moving north from around Charleston north crossing to MalaMala camp. On the 15th they were near the Tamboti Thickets with one of the Gowrie Males. From here the entire pride and both males moved together and were seen at the causeway on the 16th having walked straight through camp that morning! That night and in the early morning of the 17th they covered the western bank in its entirety with tracks of them moving back and forth between Rattrays camp and West Street Bridge. We found them just west of the old Flockfield camp. From here they crossed over west street bridge and settled down for the day in the eastern parts of the Ngoboswan donga. Several days went by with them off the reserve but they must have caught wind of the Nkuhuma pride on the 25th as they were found north of Mlowathi Pans west of the Mlowathi River on the 25th. This is a little north of their typical territory and judging from tracks, the Nkuhuma pride hadn’t been much further north of where the Kambula pride settled down. This was the last sighting of the entire pride for the month with only the lioness without cubs and a Gowrie male seen on the 28th at Lion Loop.

May:
The two Gowrie males were seen with members of the Kambula pride in all but three of the 13 sightings of these males. On the 8th one of the males was found with an impala kill near Princess Alice pans. On the 10th both males were seen together at Kapen open area. On the 11th one of the males was seen alone near the airstrip. Only twice did we see these two males together in a sighting. For details on the other ten sightings of these males please refer to the section on the Kambula pride:
The Kambula pride were seen on 18 days this month. For the most part most members of the pride were seen together with a few sightings being of just one or two of the lionesses alone. As we are accustomed to seeing, the two Gowrie males were accompanying members of the Kambula pride in ten of the 19 sightings. For the first half of the month the pride spent most of their time in Flockfield between the Matshapiri River and Charleston North crossing. On the 5th four lionesses and all 14 cubs were at Kapen open area. The next day the two lionesses that weren’t with the pride were seen with a Gowrie male at Pete’s bridge. On the 7th and 8th four lionesses and all 14 cubs were at Mamba waterhole with a Gowrie male joining them on the 8th after they killed an impala. On the 19th a lioness and a Gowrie male were at Princess Alice pans while three of the lionesses and five cubs were seen briefly as they crossed west through Charleston north crossing. On the 11th the full complement of the pride was seen at Fred’s tree. Four days later (15th) the pride was found at Kapen open area and overnight they moved east and were found at Emsagwen crossing on the 16th with a Gowrie male. It was here we watched as they successfully stalked and caught a warthog in the Matshapiri River. Moving south along the Matshapiri River from here they settled down just south of Donald’s crossing for the 17th. The 18th saw the pride prove why lions live in prides when they found and mauled the Marthly lioness near Matumi Rocks. If the Gowrie males hadn’t appeared the fate of the Marthly lioness may have been sealed. See the write up on the Marthly Pride for details on this interaction. On the 20th four lionesses and all 14 cubs were seen in front of Rattrays camp while the other two lionesses and a Gowrie male were found just south of the airstrip. One lioness was seen alone on the 22nd near the old giraffe bones. Just a little further north of here, four lionesses, 14 cubs and both Gowrie males were seen at Sand pit crossing the following day. On the 26th two lionesses and a Gowrie male gave us a scare as they appeared out of nowhere and chased the Nkoveni female leopard, her new cub, and the Flat Rock male leopard near the hippo pools west of MalaMala camp. The entire pride was viewed together for the last three sightings of the month. On the 27th they were at Elephant slide crossing. On the 28th they killed an impala near Matshapiri open area with a Gowrie male. Once finishing the kill, they noticed vultures descending in Matshapiri open area and covered the kilometre distance in a matter of minutes to chase three cheetahs off an impala kill. The last sightings for the month was north of Matshapiri open area where the pride and a Gowrie male chased two caracals (the first caracals seen in years).

June:
The two Gowrie males were seen together on four of the 10 sightings of this coalition. For the most part they were seen with members of the Kambula pride and for those sightings please refer to the section on the Kambula pride. Only twice did we see these males not accompanying the Kambula pride. On the 8th one of the males was seen at Campbell Koppies. On the 29th both males were seen near mamba waterhole.

A similar trend as in May was seen with this pride spending the first half of the month in the southern parts of their territory and the northern parts of their territory in the latter half of the month. One or both Gowrie males were seen in eight sightings of this pride. On the 2nd was out first sighting of members of the Kambula pride at Charleston north crossing where 3 females and six cubs were seen. On the 3rd four females, all 14 cubs and a Gowrie male were seen near Beaumont’s camp. On the 5th the female yet to have cubs was seen in the Rock drift donga near its confluence with the Sand River. The entire pride (baring one female) and the two Gowrie males were seen near Rattray’s camp on the 6th. From here they moved east and on the 8th four females and eight cubs were seen at Buffalo Bush dam. Following up in the same area the following day we tracked these members of the pride to the borehole in eastern Flockfield. In doing so we found the other six cubs on their own near the rocks on baby elephant walk. The full compliment of the pride was found on the 12th near Charleston North crossing in two separate sightings separated by half a kilometre. From here the pride moved north along the Sand River with two females being seen near the causeway, while three females and all the cubs were with a Gowrie male at West Street bridge on the 13th. Over a week went by with no sightings of these lions. We next found the full pride and both Gowrie males on the 22nd behind MalaMala camp. All 22 lions moved south together and were found at Donald’s crossing a couple of days later, on the 24th. The last sighting of all 20 lions together was on the 27th near MalaMala camp. The female not to have had cubs was seen alone at the Ngoboswan donga on the 29th. She was seen again on the 30th with an impala kill at West Street bridge but this time in the company of both Gowrie males. We have good reason to believe, and contradictory to what we’ve previously thought, that this female is pregnant.

July:
For a change we mostly saw these two males together. Both Gowrie males were seen together for seven of the 11 sightings. Only once did we see them not accompanying the Kambula pride and this was on the 31st when they were found at Piccadilly Pans finishing off the remains of a sub adult Giraffe. The kill was at least a couple of days old and judging from the area around the kill we could assume the two males made the kill themselves. Reply