Lions of Timbavati

[Potato]

Past year in Tanda Tula

Mbiri male lion

Such a presence in 2019, but 2020 saw very few visits from these once dominant males; one visit to the River Pride’s territory saw the Nharhu males chasing the Mbiri males all the way back south, and seemingly out of the area for good.

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River Pride cubs

Without doubt, the six cubs of the River Pride provided our happiest memories of 2020 – talk about a cuteness overload!  With the cubs tied to the den sites for the first few months of lockdown, we got to see them growing on an almost daily basis – a privilege indeed.  Sadly, July was not a good month for the pride, and sadly five of the six cubs died in one foul swoop.  The cause of their deaths remains unknown, but based on the one cub we saw dying, it was likely some virus that caused their demise.

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River Pride lioness on giraffe kill

The River Pride were a near constant feature of the central Timbavati through 2020.  Their wonderings did take them far and wide, especially after the loss of their five cubs, but they always returned to our area.  On this particular occasion they were in the south-western parts of our concession and took down an adult female giraffe; a meal that kept them going for several days.

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Nharhu males

A late inclusion to the top 20 choice, but I realised that a review of the year wouldn’t be complete without mentioning our strong, dominant male coalition, the Nharhu males.  The three boys did well by keeping the intruding Mbiri and Hercules/Sumatra coalitions out of the area and keeping the River Pride safe. Despite losing the five cubs, it was through no fault of their own. Although the limping male’s leg is considerably better than at the start of the year, he still seems like an outsider within the coalition, and these two males are almost always together, with the limping male doing his own thing.

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