There is a world somewhere between reality and fiction. Although ignored by many, it is very real and so are those living in it. This forum is about the natural world. Here, wild animals will be heard and respected. The forum offers a glimpse into an unknown world as well as a room with a view on the present and the future. Anyone able to speak on behalf of those living in the emerald forest and the deep blue sea is invited to join.
(09-03-2024, 10:07 AM)Duco Ndona Wrote: Ultimately, the big issue is that the PCmales have a strong tendency to avoid fights. Not that their confidence is lacking.
They are ignoring Tumbella. It took months for them to completely secure Ximhungwe pride as each time they just left and allowed Nhenha Nym and Tumbella to retake the pride. There is the current fiasco with the Mangheni.
If they fight right now. Sure they will win. But only if they fight. And just chasing them around is not going to cut it here as Nym and co will simply return once the PCmales leave again.
I understand your take on the situation, but I do think you present a skewed picture of the PCMs and NYM in particular. I was hesitant to share this, but I was in the Western sector last year when I personally witnessed one PCM (the smaller PCM) chasing both Tumbela AND Nkuhuma at the same time when he found them with the Ximunghwes. The PCMs are confident, and are not shy to chase down rival males, even when outnumbered. When I was there, the smaller PCM actually advanced towards Tumbela and NYM, and it was NYM who started running away first, with Tumbela also running away half a minute later with the smaller PCM chasing after him. While I do think a lot of people are quick to highlight the "invincibility" of the PCMs, I think it's unfair to say they avoid fights. They seem reluctant to finish off fights (possibly out of fear of getting injuries, as we saw in their fight against Tumbela last October, who put up a stern defense) but to say they avoid them mischaracterises their personality. They did not "ignore" Tumbela recently, they chased him off just last week - they simply did not visit the Mangheni pride (because as many have concluded, they are mediocre pride males). It is simply how vast a territory they patrol which makes it difficult to flush out rival males, because their interest is mainly on expansion rather than securing the stability of the region.
The above anecdote also does show that NYM has a tendency to bolt when the situation gets frightening, even when it is 1 v 2 in his favour. I'd be happy to share videos of the confrontation if I knew how to upload damn videos onto this forum (I will have to mute the videos to protect my privacy though).