Coalitions of Kruger National Park

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Credits to: Big on Wild

Lubyelubye Male Lions – Lions of Kruger

July 25, 2018 Big On Wild
Today’s post is dedicated to the Lubyelubye male lions.
These males like most lions have been through a lot, it’s tough being a lion in the Kruger, especially when there is so many male lions around.
One of the Lubyelubye males used to dominate the area around the Lubyelubye rocks (that is where they get their name from) and used to be the pride male of the Lubyelubye pride.

Things changed in 2016 when the Jock males decided to take over more territory and stir things up, if you didn’t know the Jock males used to dominate the area around the S21 gravel road, they had a pretty big territory back then, they also had the Jock pride which they were the pride males of.
In 2016 you started seeing the Jock males more frequently on the H4-1 tar road, they were obviously aiming to expand their already large territory. Slowly but surely they started taking over the Lubyelubye pride.
This is the older Lubyelubye male and he used to be the pride male until the Jock males ousted him away, we aren’t sure if he used to dominate the area with other males, he was usually seen alone with the pride.

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When the Jock males were trying to take over the Lubyelubye pride, the pride consisted of 8+ lionesses and their cubs, many of the lionesses went into hiding with their cubs in hopes of the Jock males not finding them. No male lion wants to raise the cubs of another male lion, that is why most of the time they kill the cubs and force the lioness into oestrus.
After the Jock males ousted him, the older Lubyelubye male made a coalition with 2 of his younger sons, after spending some time as nomads, the 3 of them have now settled down on the H4-2, you can usually find them in the area between the H5 turn off and the S82 sand road.
Here is one of the males mating with a lioness on the H4-2, which we saw in September of 2017.

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©Big on Wild

Video of the father and son Lubyelubye male, which we saw in March of 2018:

The Lubyelubye pride is still seen in the same area that they used to be, which is around the Lubyelubye rocks, and on the riverbed along the H4-1, they are also sometimes seen on the H10 bridge. 2 years later the Jock males are still their pride male, we saw the pride when we were at the Kruger in June 2018.

*This image is copyright of its original author

©Big on Wild

There has only been 3 Jock males seen recently, we not sure where the other 2 males are, they still have a massive territory, we saw them on the H4-2 close to the north entrance of the S28, in April of this year.

*This image is copyright of its original author

©Big on Wild

Also read about the Jock males here. Reply