Lions of Timbavati

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Lions of Timbavati

Tshokwane

Big Cats Enthusiast

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Joined: Apr 2015

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#100

07-12-2016, 04:14 AM

A very good blog from Tintswalo, The Avoca males start making their move.:
22-29 June.

Mbiri pride (3)

This week was still a very unsettling week for the Mbiri pride! We started their week off with two of the younger Lionesses around Manor house on the 23rd, where they tried to hunt Wildebeest close to Manor house pan. The entire pride was seen again on the 25th, accompanied by one of the Avoca male Lions. He mated with one of the older Lionesses several times, with the younger females in the area. It seems that the younger females are more comfortable with the Avoca males, that the Thanda impi males. The last sighting we had of the Mbiri pride was on the 28th, where they were accompanied by the Thanda impi males on River road, only about 100 meters from our Presidential suite. Again there was mating taking place. This pride seems to be bringing the two coalitions closer to one another, a cause for concern in the future.

*This image is copyright of its original author

Thanda Impi male Lions (2)

We had two sightings of the Thanda Impi’s this week. They were seen early in the week with the Nharhu pride on Ngwenya loop, to the west of Main Dam. It was a wonderful sighting, with interaction between the males, cubs and the females. They then disappeared for a few days, before turning up with the Mbiri pride at our presidential suite. They were mating with both of the older Lionesses, including the Lioness that was mating with the Avoca male a few days earlier. I personally don’t believe that they’re strong enough to look after two prides, and it might be worth their while staying with the Nharhu pride, but thats not how male Lions are wired, and we’ll just have to wait and see what happens in the next few months.

*This image is copyright of its original author

Nharhu pride (1)

We only had the one sighting of the Nharhu pride this week. They are still staying in the Main Dam area, which has proven to be a small but bountiful territory. After killing a Buffalo close to Main camp, at the end of the last week, we found the pride with the Thanda Impi males on Ngwenya loop. They soon moved west into thick bush, and we couldn’t follow any further.

*This image is copyright of its original author

Avoca males (2)

We had at least one of the big males from the north this week. He spent the majority of the week in the north and west of the reserve, and was interacting with two separate prides, the Mbiri’s and the Mohlawareng pride. He was first seen with the Mohlawareng pride around Civet road, and later moved more south to the Mbiri pride on Nyathi drive. We are used to seeing these guys sporadically, but this week they were interacting with prides. We think this might be the start of a new group of males in the north!

*This image is copyright of its original author

Mohlawareng pride (1)

We only had one sighting of the shy pride in the north, this week. They were seen without the young male, but in the company of, and mating with the Avoca male, on Civet road. They are a rarely seen pride, spending a lot of their time in the KNP, but it seems that they are setting up their territory north of Khoka Moya Dam and into the KNP. The fact that a new large coalition of males (Avoca males), could benefit the pride immensely, with the Mbiri pride moving south and west onto our concession, it leaves a huge area to settle. With these males in the area, that area could be well protected more the first time since the Matimba males controlled it, which was a bout two years ago.

*This image is copyright of its original author

Selati males and Talamati pride (1)

We discovered the pride, with one of the Selati males, on Sarabanga north of Buffelshoek plains. They had killed a sub-adult Buffalo, and we found them when the cubs were feeding. To our surprise, we noticed some rustling on the periphery of the pride, and three tiny cubs were hiding in the grass. One of the young Lionesses was looking a little anxious with us being there, so we decided not to go any closer, so photos will have to wait, at least a little while.