Coalitions of Kruger National Park

[Potato]

Singita KNP update

The Shishangaan Pride has been seen regularly this last month. The five cubs are growing up quickly. They are estimated to be between three and four months of age and are very cute. Fortunately, this pride has been moving around an area close to camp. One of our guides saw a lioness from the Shishangaan Pride heading up onto the Granophyre Ridge and he thought that he heard young cubs vocalizing from there, so it is possible that there are new cubs in amongst those rocks. If that is the case then we should start seeing them in a few weeks. This last month we have witnessed the Shish lioness feeding on two waterbuck, one wildebeest, and one impala. 


The Trichardt males have been seen regularly this last month. They have often been seen in the company of the Shish lionesses and cubs (the Trichardt males are the fathers of the cubs).
Sightings of the Mananga Pride have been quite scarce this last month. We assume that after Xihamham (one of the Shish males) was killed last month by the Trichardt males, the Mananga Pride has been nervous. (Xihamham was one of the dominant males over the Mananga Pride). They are obviously aware that the only remaining Shish lion is quite vulnerable now (to other males who may want to take over the territory). Should new males come into the area all the young members of the Mananga Pride would be at risk of being killed by the new males. In fact, one morning this month the two Trichardt males were seen returning from the area where the Mananga Pride normally resides and we later found the carcass of one of the Mananga sub-adults / juvenile males. We assume that the Trichardt males killed him. For a while we did not see the Mananga Pride at all and then finally they reappeared, coming out of Mozambique. Perhaps they were hiding out there until the conditions stabilized? Towards the end of the month, we saw some of the Mananga lionesses with an unknown adult male.

The Maputo male was found one morning in the central area of the concession. We had not seen this lion for a while before this and assumed that he has been in Mozambique. On the day that we saw him he was limping and did have a few fresh wounds on his back legs. When he got mobile that evening he was roaring loudly. He seems to be more confident now, and by roaring, is obviously trying to establish himself in the area again. Perhaps he knows that Xihamham is now dead and gone? Towards the end of the month we found him again, close to Gudzani Dam. He was lying next to a carcass of a large bull kudu. Since the carcass was almost finished and the lion’s belly was not that full we assumed that he stole the carcass from the Mananga lionesses.

The other Shish male (Xihamham’s coalition partner) was only seen on one occasion this last month. He was seen with one of the Mananga lionesses and they were on the far north-western part of the concession.
Towards the end of the month we came across five unknown young male lions (still with Mohican hair styles – three to four year olds) near the Sticky Thorn thickets. There was also a lioness with them. We were not sure if it was one of the lionesses from the Shish Pride or from Mananga Pride. The lioness was seen mating with one of the males. These male lions are unknown to us and are obviously not from this area as they were quite shy of the vehicle. Reply