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Lions of Sabi Sands
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Junior Othawa
"A newly independant male lion cautiously peers over the long grass, watching as vultures descend on an impala that had just been killed by a cheetah." Credit to Nic Andrew @nicandrew_photography on instagram 
Birmingham males with Kambula pride at a kill. Tinyo clearly does not like to share food :)
 (01-25-2021, 03:06 PM)Tonpa Wrote: Damn, that's unfortunate. Well her fathers are now mostly with Sand River pride. Even if she finds them, they will prob drag her near Sand Rivers, and idk how will that turn out, because theres young cubs there and lionesses would see her as a threat and most likely kill her..
Wasn't able to download it, but theres a video on kruger sightings facebook group posted about an hour ago of a young lioness walking across the road, the owner says the lioness is lost and is trying to cross the sabie river crossing (which is overflowing).
If you're in the group here is the link https://www.facebook.com/AspoestertjiePo...7380555815 
Is she in the skukuza area? I lost track of the Sparta lioness for a while, but I always though their territory was in south mala mala and kirkman’s. Wasn’t it strange that they were so far south? And with the floods who knows if she’ll be able to return north anytime soon.
Yeah on the map posted in November 2020 they were above kirkmans camp, for some reason they headed south to the skakuza area.
(01-26-2021, 05:56 AM)Gijima Wrote: Is she in the skukuza area? I lost track of the Sparta lioness for a while, but I always though their territory was in south mala mala and kirkman’s. Wasn’t it strange that they were so far south? And with the floods who knows if she’ll be able to return north anytime soon They where in Sabi Sabi just around 2 weeks ago on a kill.. She is not too far in Kruger, just over the river, which is the border of Sabi Sands. 
The problem with the orphaned Sparta sub-adult is not that much she can't find food for herself, there was a smaller Tsalala lost cub (5 months old?) surviving on his own for 5 weeks before being reunited with his pride, miracles happen and some specimen can beat the odds, but this Sparta has nobody to be reunited with and thus no clear way out of the situation, her situation is rather permanent than temporary. Without joining other lions she would be stuck being alone and at best would have try to do what her mother could not, if she would reach adulthood (and find a male to mate with and is not infertile).
But who can she join? Besides possibly being tolerated by her fathers, other lions are gonna be likely a danger rather than a safe haven for her. Prides with cubs would seen her as danger and at this point she is more of a burden than help and far from being seen as a potential mate. Nomadic outcasts in similar situation might be more receptive, but not a great help (Mhangeni sub-adults were 12 and did not make it), she would need to stay disease and injury free and to have a reliable hunter who she could trail and be allowed to feast on scraps before hyenas move in. During pride takeover she would be killed so the new male(s) could mate with her mother, that reason is not there anymore, but there is no incentive for any nomadic males to help her in any way, that would take some unusual special behaviour. Unless they would consider her being possibly their offsppring, but her fathers are gonna be with their prides being fed that way, not hunting for themselves often enough. And now she is likely blocked from area she know the best by flooded riverbeds. Not much going for her, sadly.
Summary of Timbavatis pride movement in recent days:
Crossed to SabiSands from Manyeleti following buffaloes, stole a kill at Sidney' Dam near Gowrie Gate in Buffelshoek (impala?), moved to Djuma, where there were filmed live in a failed atempt to hunt impalas, followed buffaloes further to Arathusa, but were then spotted on a waterbuck kill in Djuma. The next day (Sunday) they surprised herd of 9 wildebeest and killed 3 of them just below the Gowrie Dam and gorged upon those kills (lots of footage of the feast on Wildearth, clip of two of the kills on Djuma reserve facebook), stay nearby till today, in the morning they moved along the Tumbeta house southwest and likely crossed southern borderd of Djuma. All of this was without Dark Mane, the pride was likely whole otherwise, full 14, they were definitely more than 10 together, 2 male sub-adults easily recognazible among them (not sure if the third one doesn't have a prominent mane yet or they just weren't in the camera frame together or was not there). So everybody should be well fed. One lioness has a nasty gash on the inside of a front leg from the wildebeest hunt, but it doesnt seem too serious, no significant limp atm, will take to time heal though. Another one has a distinctive cheek scar, but that is not that recent. (01-26-2021, 03:39 PM)RookiePundit Wrote: Summary of Timbavatis pride movement in recent days: You mean "Tintswalo" not Timbavati". Tintswalo is a lodge in Manyeleti which is region to the north from Sabi Sands and Timbavati is to the north from Manyeleti. |
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