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(02-07-2018, 02:14 AM)vinodkumarn Wrote: MALAMALA TODAY: February 5th&6th. 13 lions: The Kambula pride continue to do things that leave us scratching our heads... Yesterday all 6 lionesses and a single Gowrie male were found with their 2nd buffalo kill in as many days. 4 cubs from 2 different litters were also present and playfully interacted before something shocking occurred... Without warning, the mother of the slightly younger cubs killed both of the older cubs. A number of theories have been generated as to why but we’ll never really know. 4 of the lionesses were in the Sand River at West Street Bridge today while the lioness with 2 cubs and the Gowrie male were at Maxim’s Lookout. We viewed the 2 Avoca males on both days. They killed a giraffe in southwestern Charleston.
Photo of one of the younger cubs of the Kambula pride by ranger Liam Henderson
*This image is copyright of its original author
Very interesting behavior specially coming from a female, how likelly is it that see realised the cubs of the other lioness were from a different male than hers and she decided to kill them ?
Or maybe it simple was because it was the first time that particular lioness interacted with those cubs, interesting nonetheless
The cubs being from a different male isn't a problem, maybe the pride is splitting up since so many coalitions currently frequent their territory and she saw the older cubs as being from a rival pride. It could also be what you said at the end.
Wouldn't the lionesses show signs of agression towards each other first and not the cubs if the pride was in process of spliting ?
From the Malamala post it seems they were calmly feeding and interacting with each other and suddenly the lioness just decided to attack the cubs which is weird.
If the cubs were found stashed somewhere and she killed them it would be normal beahvior since the progenitor wouldn't be around.
This is very similar behavior to what males lions have after a take over of a pride with subadult cubs since they aren't small they don't kill them straight away but they periodically try to catch and kill them, the Majingilane did this with sub adult males they would seemingly tolerate them and all of a sudden they would try to attack them.
(02-07-2018, 02:14 AM)vinodkumarn Wrote: MALAMALA TODAY: February 5th&6th. 13 lions: The Kambula pride continue to do things that leave us scratching our heads... Yesterday all 6 lionesses and a single Gowrie male were found with their 2nd buffalo kill in as many days. 4 cubs from 2 different litters were also present and playfully interacted before something shocking occurred... Without warning, the mother of the slightly younger cubs killed both of the older cubs. A number of theories have been generated as to why but we’ll never really know. 4 of the lionesses were in the Sand River at West Street Bridge today while the lioness with 2 cubs and the Gowrie male were at Maxim’s Lookout. We viewed the 2 Avoca males on both days. They killed a giraffe in southwestern Charleston.
Photo of one of the younger cubs of the Kambula pride by ranger Liam Henderson
*This image is copyright of its original author
Very interesting behavior specially coming from a female, how likelly is it that see realised the cubs of the other lioness were from a different male than hers and she decided to kill them ?
Or maybe it simple was because it was the first time that particular lioness interacted with those cubs, interesting nonetheless
The cubs being from a different male isn't a problem, maybe the pride is splitting up since so many coalitions currently frequent their territory and she saw the older cubs as being from a rival pride. It could also be what you said at the end.
Wouldn't the lionesses show signs of agression towards each other first and not the cubs if the pride was in process of spliting ?
From the Malamala post it seems they were calmly feeding and interacting with each other and suddenly the lioness just decided to attack the cubs which is weird.
If the cubs were found stashed somewhere and she killed them it would be normal beahvior since the progenitor wouldn't be around.
This is very similar behavior to what males lions have after a take over of a pride with subadult cubs since they aren't small they don't kill them straight away but they periodically try to catch and kill them, the Majingilane did this with sub adult males they would seemingly tolerate them and all of a sudden they would try to attack them.
I don't think Kambula pride is splitting. Apart from few days they were always together..
For certain things in wild, we can't find answers in text books. This is one among them!
The kambulas are a new pride with no experience in take care of cubs. They did the same thing with their cubs with matimbas. Beside the lack of experience the kambulas have not a solid control by a coalition over their area. Too many males sharing the same area and pride. Bboys, avocas, matshapiri and even their father and uncle scar nose. Only a very dominant coalition like majingilanes could bring some relax to kambulas to them creat their cubs right. Bboys don't control the entire east like majingis. They allow too much males running around.
Young mother and her two cubs "An indescribable moment as this lioness from the Kambula pride appeared out of the bush with her two young cubs. A dream came true as she gently picked up one of the cubs and carried it across our airstrip. This moment was made ever more special as I got to witness it with my folks on drive with me." credits to Bruce Missing, MalaMala Game Reserve, 02/08/2018
(02-08-2018, 09:46 PM)T Rabbit Wrote: The kambulas are a new pride with no experience in take care of cubs. They did the same thing with their cubs with matimbas. Beside the lack of experience the kambulas have not a solid control by a coalition over their area. Too many males sharing the same area and pride. Bboys, avocas, matshapiri and even their father and uncle scar nose. Only a very dominant coalition like majingilanes could bring some relax to kambulas to them creat their cubs right. Bboys don't control the entire east like majingis. They allow too much males running around.
I would say bboys are their best bet considering their numbers and age. They bboys can easily end up producing two generations with the kambulas and bring long term stability to the pride, a bit like what the majingalanes did with the mothers of the kambulas. And to play devil's advocate, the bboys killed an intruder in their territory very recently while the two avocas were stealing kills from the othawas deep inside majingi territory, so to your point that bboys allow too many males running around their territory, quite the contrary infact.
Sik94 just compare the control of majingilanes over east with bboys. Majingis controled since djuma until londolozi and central mala mala. They had all prides at the same time. The northern (styxs and fourways) and central prides (tsalalas, spartas and mhangenis ). The bboys only control north since djuma until cheetah plains and 3 prides (nkuhumas, styxs and torchwoods) and they are same number of majingilanes, four males. The east ss is a mess since majingis left. The two avocas were two childs lost in the west. They did not with othawas. Different from matshapiris and matimbas wich mated with prides that should be of bboys.
(02-09-2018, 05:00 PM)T Rabbit Wrote: Sik94 just compare the control of majingilanes over east with bboys. Majingis controled since djuma until londolozi and central mala mala. They had all prides at the same time. The northern (styxs and fourways) and central prides (tsalalas, spartas and mhangenis ). The bboys only control north since djuma until cheetah plains and 3 prides (nkuhumas, styxs and torchwoods) and they are same number of majingilanes, four males. The east ss is a mess since majingis left. The two avocas were two childs lost in the west. They did not with othawas. Different from matshapiris and matimbas wich mated with prides that should be of bboys.
I partly agree with you. I really dont want to comapre BBoys Vs Majis
IMO ...Majis are already legends.. and BBoys are in the process. (How many offsprings they are raising to independence is the metric I am comparing.)
In general East is more vulnerable as it shares boundary with KNP unlike west...
BBoys ousted Matimbas and took Styx pride. (I believe Matimbas left Nkuhumas by themselves..)
I dont know when Matimbas and Matshapiris mated with BBoys prides..
Can you please share some details.. I am unaware of that...
02-10-2018, 12:12 AM( This post was last modified: 02-10-2018, 12:14 AM by Michael )
(02-09-2018, 05:00 PM)T Rabbit Wrote: Sik94 just compare the control of majingilanes over east with bboys. Majingis controled since djuma until londolozi and central mala mala. They had all prides at the same time. The northern (styxs and fourways) and central prides (tsalalas, spartas and mhangenis ). The bboys only control north since djuma until cheetah plains and 3 prides (nkuhumas, styxs and torchwoods) and they are same number of majingilanes, four males. The east ss is a mess since majingis left. The two avocas were two childs lost in the west. They did not with othawas. Different from matshapiris and matimbas wich mated with prides that should be of bboys.
Not true they never controlled both Londolozi and Northern Sabi Sands, the moment they expanded to Western Londolozi they lost the control they had over the prides of Northern Sabi Sands.
Matimbas never mated with any prides after BB take over that we know of obviously.
Plus who cares how many hectares a coalition dominates all it matters is the number of prides they dominate.
MALAMALA TODAY: February 8th&9th. Lions: Given the current ‘baby boom’ within the Kambula pride it’s difficult to keep track of what exactly is going on... like which lioness is denning where for example. As far as we can tell there are currently 3 litters of 4, 2 and 2. Over the last 2 days we had 2 amazing sightings of the lionesses who have 2 cubs. Both sightings were in the vicinity of our airstrip. 2 Gowrie males and another lioness were all seen separately but also around our airstrip. The Styx pride and another Gowrie male were viewed to the east of Mlowathi Dam. The 2 Avoca males are still feasting on their giraffe kill in the south and made a half-hearted attempt today at catching another giraffe.
In addition to these 3 litters.. atleast 3 cubs were killed in last 1 week. (1 at Rock Drift donga and another 2 by one of the lionessess)
i mean majingis expanded in the same week of the take over from nkorho until londolozi. There are videos of majingis interacting with tsalalas at londolozi even in 2010. The majingis area became djuma until londolozi and central mala mala just in some weeks. Matimbas only did some incursions with over djuma to protect the nkuhumas since 2011. The matimbas only were resident at djuma in 2013 taking the styxs breakway. At that time majingis started to expand over west through singita. So to bboys show similar dominancy like majingis they would have to chased matimbas until londolozi and took tsalalas. Just like majingis did with milowathis.
