Lion tales

[Potato]

https://inyatigamelodge.com/2012/10/18/ndzhati-september-2012-wildlife-journal/
https://inyatigamelodge.com/2013/05/01/nyenyenyani-february-2013-safari-journal/
https://inyatigamelodge.com/2013/05/06/nyenyankulu-march-2013-safari-journal/?fb_source=pubv1
https://inyatigamelodge.com/2013/07/04/april-dzivamusoko-2013-safari-journal/
https://inyatigamelodge.com/2013/07/14/may-mudyaxihi-may-2013-safari-journal/?fb_source=pubv1
https://inyatigamelodge.com/2013/09/26/august-mhawuri-safari-journal2013/
https://inyatigamelodge.com/2013/10/26/ndzhati-september-2013-safari-journal/
https://inyatigamelodge.com/2013/11/15/nhlangula-october-2013-safari-journal/
http://singita.com/wp-content/uploads/20...l-2013.pdf
http://singita.com/wp-content/uploads/20...-20142.pdf
http://singita.com/wp-content/uploads/20...4.docx.pdf

2012-2014

Majingilanes vs Salatis warfare 

September 2012
The Selati males and Ximhungwe lionesses have been very active giving great sightings throughout the month. The males are now starting to look like pride males as their girth and confidence improve. The four males killed three buffalos this month of which one was only couple of kilometres from the lodge.
One of the interesting things worth mentioning is that Majingelane male coalition had a few visits into area, keeping the Selati males on their toes. The larger male of Selati coalition of lions were seen running past the front of the lodge while roaring , one morning, upon close observation we noticed fresh, bleeding battle wounds, we latter received reports of two Majingelane males and one Othawa lioness were in the area he came running from. On the following drive we located one of the other males (one with bad limp) of the Selati male coalition with battle wounds.
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February 2013
The coalition is still going very strong in defending their territory. During the month of this report we have seen them pushing more towards the eastern section of their territory, possibly following Othawa pride.

This resulted in a territorial battle with the Manjingelane males, a coalition of four males that denominate the north-eastern of the Sabi sand game reserve. Two of the Selati males were injured in this fight, one had his bottom lip split and the other got his eye badly injured. Sadly the Selati male who got injured by buffalo who was recovering his condition have change direction, he now deteriorated, looking thin again.

March 2013
[i]The last three months have been tough for the Selati coalition, the Majinilane have been keeping them on their toes. There was another dispute between these two groups of male lions this month. Three Majingilane male lions came across one Selati male, the smaller one and a Othawa lioness mating. Majingilane retreated immediately and one other Selati join in chasing the intruding males north-west across the sand river. We herd commotion across the river unfortunately we could follow across. It was on few minutes after the two Selati males chased Majingilane males, when suddenly we saw our boys running back across with the three males chasing them back. It was only the younger two of the Selati males that were in this territorial dispute. The Majingilane had the upper hand since three of the Selati we still injured, two were injured in previous battle and the third one was injured by buffalo and was not well enough to participate in this fight. There were no major added injuries on the recent territorial fight. However one of the males who was actively fighting and chasing the three intruding male is now badly limping. The boys are recovering well even managed to kill two buffalo cows in one evening.

One of the Selati males showing battle scars after the encounter with the Majingilane males.[/i]
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[i]April 2013[/i]
[i][i]The four male lions are recovering well from the battle injuries, the Majingelane coalition of lions have stayed away for a while. The Selati spent good part of the month of trailing behind the three Othawa lionesses.[/i][/i]

[i][i]From the Singita April[/i][/i]
[i][i]We set out for our afternoon game drive with the intention of following up on a male lion that had been seen in the morning, lying on the sandy banks of the Sand River - at a place we call 'the beach'.[/i][/i]

[i][i]As we approached the first drainage line, lined with massive jackalberry trees, we heard the sound of a Wahlberg’s eagle that was not happy about something... Not being able to see what the commotion was about, we used our binoculars to have a closer look, and discovered a large Verreaux’s eagle-owl, perched in the shade. The eagle was taunting the owl. Owl mobbing by diurnal birds is fairly common, as they see them as a threat. Owls will prey on roosting birds, and in the case of Verreaux’s eagle-owls, they feed on a wide range of prey including young monkeys and warthog piglets. [/i][/i]

[i][i]As the owl flew off to another large dense riverine tree, followed by the eagle, we heard a male lion roaring and the sound was coming from the beach. As we arrived there my colleague, Mark Broodryk, radioed that he had found the lion lying close to its last position. [/i][/i]

[i][i]We were lucky to hear him roaring once more. Roaring is ability unique to leopards, lions, tigers and jaguars. It is due to two hyoids bones in their throats that vibrate, and a specialized larynx. The male was most likely trying to find his brothers - they had been separated for the past week since one of them had been seen mating with a lioness. The male we were looking at had not been as victorious and was recuperating after a rather vicious fight that left him limping and in a rather sorry state! What followed next could not have been predicted.[/i][/i]

[i][i]We saw the head of a rival lion emerge from the tall grass on the northern bank, a mere fifty metres from him. We sat patiently and saw another head appear… then another. They were three large males from a coalition known as the Majingilane. Their territory extends to the east of Singita and rarely have they been seen so far west.  [/i][/i]

[i][i]Our male, the Selati male, seemed to have no clue of the danger he was facing, as the three males peered down the bank but were unable to spot him lying on the sand! Luckily for him he didn’t roar and opted for what lions do best, which is sleep... [/i][/i]

[i][i]A hooded vulture landed right in front of him, adding to the eeriness of the scene. My tracker Mishack and I were convinced the males would soon descend the bank and most likely kill the lone male. After 30 minutes of sniffing the air and gazing intently they made their move. Choosing a prominent game trail north of our male, scent marking as they came down the bank, they arrived at the river's edge. Two of the Majingilane then crossed the river. At this point the third male saw our single Selati male. Our male crouched and held his ground. The Majingilane male started making soft moans and contact called his brothers who were looking about on the southern bank. The Selati male then, to our utter astonishment, stood up and strode towards the third brother, who quickly crossed the river to join up with the other two.[/i][/i]

[i][i]When all three regrouped and realised they had no sign of him on the southern bank, they turned to see him standing defiantly on the opposite side. Galvanized together they chased after him, running through the river and out of view. The Selati male had a good 50 metre lead on the Majingilane males, and ran due north. After 10 minutes we heard lots of roaring and saw three Majingilane males running south, through the river and being trailed by the Selati male and a couple of minutes later one of his missing brothers.  [/i][/i]

[i][i]The territorial dispute was over and the Majingilane males opted for a hasty retreat rather than fighting the two Selati males. What an amazing afternoon full of surprises and excitement that ended well for all of them. It was good to see the Selati males stand their ground, because a couple of years ago, before they had become territorial males, they had lost another of their brothers to the Majingilane males. This was the first time we've witnessed them coming face to face since, and it will surely happen again. They are now evenly matched, a total of four in each coalition, and all in their prime.[/i][/i]



[i][i]May 2013[/i][/i]
[i][i]These males have been very active throughout the month moving great distances covering every corner of their territory. It could because of the recent encounters they had with Manjingelane coalition of  male lions, but it could also be that they have pick up scent of the new pride(southern) frequenting the area.[/i][/i]
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[i][i]One of the Selati male lion has fresh wounds, we are not sure what happened. He could have met the Manjingelane males again. The boys may have fought among themselves as there is a lioness of Othawa pride that is in oestrous and they have been taking turns in mating with her.[/i][/i]
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[i][i]August 2013[/i][/i]
[i][i][i]Three members of the coalition are doing great often seen together hunting or patrolling their territory. The male that had injured paw has recovered well as he is able to keep with the group. Unfortunately we can’t say the same about the male with broken ribs. His condition is worsening and is he appears to be having difficulties in keeping up with any group of lions, his brother or any of the prides.  [/i][/i][/i]
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[i][i]September 2013[/i][/i]
[i][i][i]Three of the Selati males are often seen together constantly patrolling and marking their territory. They spent a good fair amount of time with the Othawa pride. Unfortunately the fourth male is still not doing well. He continues to lose condition due to the broken ribs and possible punched lung from when he was hit by a buffalo.  [/i][/i][/i]
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[i][i][i]October 2013[/i][/i][/i]
[i][i][i][i]Sadly the formidable four – Selati male coalition – known for defeating the Magogo coalition is now down to three. One of the males has passed on after battling for over eight months from the internal damage caused by a buffalo hitting him. He was found dead east of our boundaries, we are not sure how he died but there is a theory that he was finished off by another buffalo.[/i][/i][/i][/i]

[i][i][i][i]February 2014[/i][/i][/i][/i]
[i][i][i][i]The last few weeks have been exciting to say the least, it has been action-packed for the month. The Mhangeni pride has been within the central sections of the property, periodically moving south and maintaining a permanent movement between the various drainages and successfully hunting game within these areas. This lasted for a period of almost two weeks.[/i][/i][/i][/i]

[i][i][i][i]The central sections of the Singita property are currently the dividing line between the two major male lion coalitions, the Majingilane males in the south east and the Selati male coalition in the north west. Both coalitions have been seen over this boundary line on different intervals. Two of the Majingilane males ventured across the territorial boundary at the same time that it was reported that the Selati males were roaring. The sound of other males roaring instinctively caused the Majingilane males to start roaring as well, and within a few hours the remaining two males of the Majingilane coalition had joined forces, and were found in the early hours of the morning well into the Selati males’ territory.[/i][/i][/i][/i]

[i][i][i][i]With only three males in the Selati male coalition it was evident that they were out-numbered and even though they had a brief conflict, it most likely ended quickly with a retreat by the Selati males. However, there were a few wounds within each coalition - signs that the battleground had been drawn. Perhaps this was a reminder to each of the males in the north west that they are out-numbered and this may cause their territory to shrink somewhat and caution them to avoid courageous movements into the south east or close to that area. Only one Selati male was seen licking his wounds after the encounter so this was a fortunate incident for the coalition not to lose another male to a stronger coalition.[/i][/i][/i][/i]

[i][i][i][i]Two of the Majingilane male lions had been patrolling the area frequently as they were following the Mhangeni pride, in addition to the large herd of buffalo that was in the area. Could this be a change in the territory for Majingilane males? [/i][/i][/i][/i]

[i][i][i][i]With nine cubs and four females the Mhangeni pride is large, and based on the success of the cubs surviving thus far it shows that they are well protected by the females and the strong defence of the coalition of the four Majingilane males. [/i][/i][/i][/i]

[i][i][i][i]April 2014[/i][/i][/i][/i]

[i][i][i][i]The Mhangeni pride marched in from the southeast and remained within the central area for a few days before venturing into the north. With the Majingalane males fixated on finding females and overpowering the Selati male coalition it’s inevitable that this is the time of change amongst the lion prides. The coalition of the four Majingalane males has been spending time in the northwest, well out of their normal territorial range. One of the male lions has been reported to be mating with an Othawa lioness. As the Majingalane coalition were increasing their territorial stake within the Sabi Sand, the Mhangeni pride were left on their own. The pride is doing well and all nine cubs are in a good condition. With the males not being around to chase the pride off the kills it has resulted in a positive effect for the pride, particularly when food is abundant for all. [/i][/i][/i][/i]

[i][i][i][i](yet will continue)[/i][/i][/i][/i] Reply