Lion tales

[Potato]

https://www.leopardhills.com/blog/game-ranger-reports/rangers-report-combined-february-march-2014/
https://www.facebook.com/LeopardHills/posts/we-started-drive-this-morning-with-the-news-that-the-four-majingilane-male-lions/687785891284174/
https://www.leopardhills.com/blog/game-ranger-reports/rangers-report-april-2014/
https://www.facebook.com/Inyatigamelodge/photos/a.253643860536/10154135739500537/?type=1&theater
https://www.leopardhills.com/blog/game-ranger-reports/combined-rangers-report-may-june-2014/
https://www.facebook.com/215946271812134/posts/the-last-few-months-have-dashed-by-in-a-flurry-of-excitement-although-you-need-t/716119851794771/
https://inyatigamelodge.com/2015/03/31/march-2015-field-guide-report-by-matt/?fbclid=IwAR1t_N69kJSN_bx1-VEclR7MII2GaJtdBmBM1fK4_n4fBatXWLJgV_sJ9cE

Salatis vs Majingilanes warfare part 2

February 2014

The Othawa’s once again have been moving all over. Some days they were all together and other days some cubs were on their own away from the rest. A couple of times the Selati males did some babysitting. The last that we saw of them all 3 females and 8 cubs were in very good condition. They also however did cross the river to the North late in the month.

All 3 the Selati brothers have been patrolling their territory to the West and East. They spent a couple of days on a Buffalo cow and calf that they killed. This put them all back into good condition. They would split up to patrol and then join up for a day or two before splitting up again. They have been facing pressure from the East in the form of the Majingilane coalition.

*This image is copyright of its original author

These 4 Majingilane males have been coming into Selati male territory more often. Luckily they have not come across one of the prides to be able to kill the cubs. The Selati’s seem to be standing their ground. At the time of writing of this report the Majingilane have had an altercation with one of the Selati males.  The extent of the injuries are unknown. Follow our Facebook page for up to date updates on the situation.

30 of March 2014
We started drive this morning with the news that the four Majingilane male lions had come across one of the Selati males and that there was a lot of interaction between them. When we got in to the sighting the fight was over and the rivals were laying about twenty meters apart from each other. Between the four boys there was a few scars on their faces and for the Selati male we could see blood running from his neck and scars on hind back legs. The last update we got was that the Selati male was moving away from the four Majingilane males. (on the left one of the Majingilane males and on the right the scared Selati male)

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

April 2014
The one Selati male that had the fight with the Majingilane males also seems to be recovering. His two brothers spent most of their time with the Othawa pride with him eventually also catching up to them.

The Majingilane males came back into the West on the last day of the month. They were actively scent marking and vocalising. It seems they are ready to take over the West from the Selati coalition. Interesting times lay ahead for the Lion dynamics in the Western Sector. Hopefully the prides can manage to keep the cubs safe, and that the Selati males can muster up the courage to take on these four Majingilane males.

*This image is copyright of its original author

21 May 2014
This trio maybe down to two. The remains of dead male lion was seen few day ago and Selati 3 haven't been seen for a while. The Majingelane are out of the western sector for the moment and the remaining two selati have snuck in last night but keeping a low profile to avoid Majingelane. — w miejscu: Inyati Game Lodge, Sabi Sands Game Reserve

*This image is copyright of its original author

May and June 2014
The Selati males seem to have been defeated by the Majingilane, as we have not seen them for a long time. We have had reports that two of them have been seen further North East of us.

The Majingilane are still busy with their takeover of the Western Sector. With the big territory that they occupy now, we have not seen them too much, as they patrol their whole territory. For the prides this is a good thing, as it gives them time to raise their cubs. There have been reports that some of the cubs have already been killed by the Majingilane. Every time they do however come into the West, they seek out the one Othawa female, without cubs, to mate with her.

July 2014
The last few months have dashed by in a flurry of excitement, although, you need to be forewarned this story is not an easy story to read

It is however, part of the bush and it adds to the drama of it all as we realize that in the bush the penalty for pure misfortune often is death. So to start off, it appears that the Selati’s are now gone. The four became three and then the Majingilanes arrived.

For two weeks this reserve was in an uproar as on separate nights the Majingilanes teamed up against individual Selati’s, the one was really badly wounded and another was killed by the Jingies, these battles happened at night and it happened close to the camp and all night long we heard the giant cats fight it out. The other two left via Londolozi and the last update I had was that they were around the Manyeleti a few weeks back.

This new coalition then moved into the area and they were looking for the Prides. Initially the males found the female from the Othawa Pride who doesn’t have any cubs, she mated with these males for almost two weeks, before they realized that they were barking up the wrong tree! This time had given the two prides a head start, the Xhimungwe’s have been hiding from male lions for years when they have cubs, and the Othawa’s had not, and it shows. The Majingilanes then proceeded to hunt the cubs from both prides. This is natural selection at work, it is common practice for new male lions moving into an area to kill off the cubs, it is called infanticide.

One fateful afternoon we happened upon a fresh Kudu kill that the one female had killed. She was lying up in the afternoon sunlight in the sand of one of the many drainage lines that run about the lodge. Initially we knew she had a kill because she was full and covered in blood and we could smell it, it is an acrid smell when the lions spill the stomach and its contents, it catches you by surprise and is not at all pleasant, and it wasn’t pleasant. We found the kill and also by surprise four cubs that had been displaced from the Pride and we had feared the worst. They had gorged themselves on a huge male kudu, not much was left apart from a partially chewed ribcage and a clean beautiful set of horns. We had left that evening thinking that this was there bit of luck, but we were wrong… dead wrong. The next morning two cubs were dead in the same spot and the other two were missing. Jury is still out on who killed the cubs but the manner in which they were left suggests like it was lions. This poor Othawa’s Pride has lost in total 6 cubs with only one male and one female sub-adult left. Should these two perish as well this will give the Xhimungwe’s a chance as the Jingies will spend quality time with the Othawa’s.
The Xhimungwe’s are down to five sub-adults 4 females and a male. The cubs are almost indiscernible from their mother in the Xhimungwe’s. Their tactic seems to be eat impala’s every day, nothing too big to keep us rooted to one spot for too long, and turn away from the roars at night.

March 2015
I have delayed writing this piece. There has been a drama playing out and instead of making it two parts as seems to be the trend these days when someone finds a marketable story like the Lord of the Rings movie series. Like any good drama it has highs and lows and it has so much sadness. I guess it all started about 6 months ago. One quiet evening unbeknownst to the Selati lion coalition, four old campaigners moved into this, a relatively stable part of the reserve. The story ended on the 15th of April with a sad and lonely death from a broken lion that never had a chance.

A single Selati male lion was killed on his own in the North of our reserve, his body was found by a guide out on drive. He was the second casualty to the Majingelane lion coalition with one of his brothers having been killed by the coalition a few years before. A third brother was killed in two separate encounters with buffalo. The two surviving brothers were seen walking off the property never to return. The new coalition on the property had actually come up from the north of the Sabi Sand, where they had been established for a few years.

*This image is copyright of its original author

The new coalition then went about looking for the females on their new territory. We left them one evening on a kudu kill in a drainage line and when we returned the next morning 4 of the 8 cubs from the Othawa pride were dead. The remaining cubs had scattered about the reserve lost and bewildered by something they had no clue about. It took many weeks of searching to get them all back, one young female even ended up following the Ximungwe pride around for two weeks. This signaled the start of the great race, the females from both prides took it upon themselves to mate with the lions as a distraction tactic and allow another female to lead the cubs to safety. However over time the males got two more cubs from the Othawas leaving a male and female cub left as the survivors from 8. The two cubs became sub-adults together and often found them alone having to fend for themselves. They lasted for many months and it seemed like for the female at least there was a light at the end of the tunnel.

Then in February one of the Othawa females gave birth to three beautiful little cubs. The Majingelanes had become proud fathers once again. The Othawa group thought it was time to introduce the males to the two remaining sub-adults. Surely having cubs of their own would appease their vengeance on the Selati’s at last? The interaction did not go well and the female was seen fleeing the area with all the males after her. The young males were also injured in the skirmish. The female was found close to the lodge a few days later as her decomposing body could be smelt from afar. The young male alone and injured returned to the females with cubs who rejected him. I’m trying not to anthropomorphise here but I can only imagine how he must have felt, being hurt and hungry and then cast away from his family.

In the meantime the short tailed lioness from the Ximungwes had been isolated from her pride because of a small injury. She was on the mend but needed to join the group again. She must have made the fatal mistake of contact calling close to the Othawas and their new cubs. The short tailed lady must have fought like a demon possessed judging by the signs of the struggle left behind as flattened and bloody grass. Her body had mostly been consumed by one of the male coalition when we found her the next morning.

This story ends late one morning drive, after the males and the Othawas had finished off a kill and were relaxing by a watering hole. The lone surviving offspring of the Selati coalition tempted by food and a time gone by came close. He forlornly was calling more from instinct than hope. He lay in the shade of a tree hoping to get in close and join the group. The coalition then came up to him and as he lay there exhausted and broken, they approached with a look of intent. He accepted his fate as only one destined for the gallows can be, resided to his fate he did not run away. With a flurry of activity it was over, the males walked away leaving the broken body and a broken promise from his fathers. Hopefully now the bush has taken its required amount of blood and the strong genes of the Majingelane and by proxy the mighty Mapogos will see this new generation of cubs lasting long. However only time will tell and the bush is certainly not sentimental. Reply