Coalitions of Kruger National Park

[Tonpa]

Lions

• Most of the sightings this month have been of the two respective portions of the famed Mananga Pride of lions. At present, the pride numbers are in a constant state of flux, with the larger portion ending the month with a regularly seen number of 13 individuals. One lioness has been seen on her own a handful of times in the north-western portions of the concession, and it is hoped that she has cubs at a den-site that she is concentrating her activities around.
The smaller portion of eight, which comprises two adult females and their six, now almost one-year-old cubs, have been joined regularly by the two Shish Males. These ten lions surprised all guides by venturing much further south than is normally expected and provided some quality viewing just on the lodge's doorstep a few times!

• The Shishangaan Pride have not been seen too often during February, as they follow known seasonal distribution patterns, taking them into a wilderness zone south of the lodges. We have had a good number of sightings, and the pride fragmented into smaller groups of two to five members, which was the most we saw together at any one time.

• The Trichard Males have, on occasion, been seen with members of the Shishangaan Pride, but have also been encountered on their own on many occasions. They seem to have retained control of their territory around the lodges and on the concession, as we have not seen or found any signs of the larger coalition of males that for the past six months have been venturing into the concession from the southwest.

• The larger coalition of males, as already mentioned, have been absent on the concession, but remain a threat in the long term. They have been seen a handful of times along the road between the lodges and the staff village on our daily commutes between the two. It would appear that they are spending more time in the west, where they have cubs in a pride that now need their protection more than before. The cubs were viewed for the first time with pride, whilst feeding on a zebra along the H6 road linking Singita Lebombo and our airstrip.

• Wet weather during the month prompted the guides to venture further from the concession at times in search of animals, and this led to a few magical sightings of the pride that resides near our airstrip close to Satara. The distance travelled to see this pride is negligible when the reward includes seeing the now dominant and territorially established white lion male born almost eight years ago in the Shishangaan Pride


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