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.
The game viewing this past week has been incredible. Here, a cub of the Mhangeni pride rests on top of a termite mound while watching his siblings wrestle each other below.
Image by: Chris Taylor
Londolozi Game Reserve,Date: 18-11-20
11-19-2020, 03:12 AM( This post was last modified: 11-19-2020, 03:15 AM by T I N O )
The Tsalala/Marthly lioness and her daughter on MalaMala Game Reserve a month ago. Both lionesses were looking on good shape and well feed. The last hurrah for this legendary pride.
Photo by: Martie Van der Hoven
MalaMala GR,11-16-20
I've got a question for everybody. Recently the Birmingham Young Male lion was names Osindile which means 'survivor' in Zulu. A worthy name for the young male who had to survive the Ross Males and his leg injury that nearly killed him. Down south, in Sabi Sands, the Nkuhuma Young Male also had to face his own hardships and had to survive. He was also forced to face dominant male lions and on occasion, had to fight them to survive. He lost his mother and partner and had to look after himself for almost a year. The stress led to him losing condition and his mane until he found the Styx Pride. He is also a true Survivor of the bush. Both Males have similar stories and are similar in age but in your opinion, who had a much harsher life they had to survive through?
(11-19-2020, 03:17 AM)Slayerd Wrote: I've got a question for everybody. Recently the Birmingham Young Male lion was names Osindile which means 'survivor' in Zulu. A worthy name for the young male who had to survive the Ross Males and his leg injury that nearly killed him. Down south, in Sabi Sands, the Nkuhuma Young Male also had to face his own hardships and had to survive. He was also forced to face dominant male lions and on occasion, had to fight them to survive. He lost his mother and partner and had to look after himself for almost a year. The stress led to him losing condition and his mane until he found the Styx Pride. He is also a true Survivor of the bush. Both Males have similar stories and are similar in age but in your opinion, who had a much harsher life they had to survive through?
To this point, I'd have to say that the Nkuhuma male has had a rougher go of it so far, simply due to BYM having not even been run out of the pride yet. BYM, is a lion I try to follow closely, and one that I am really pulling for, but everything Nkuhuma has dealt with to this point, given his older age, certainly appears that he has had a rougher go.
Who gave BYM this name? This is the first I have heard of it. It fits, but it could fit for countless others as well.
(11-19-2020, 03:17 AM)Slayerd Wrote: I've got a question for everybody. Recently the Birmingham Young Male lion was names Osindile which means 'survivor' in Zulu. A worthy name for the young male who had to survive the Ross Males and his leg injury that nearly killed him. Down south, in Sabi Sands, the Nkuhuma Young Male also had to face his own hardships and had to survive. He was also forced to face dominant male lions and on occasion, had to fight them to survive. He lost his mother and partner and had to look after himself for almost a year. The stress led to him losing condition and his mane until he found the Styx Pride. He is also a true Survivor of the bush. Both Males have similar stories and are similar in age but in your opinion, who had a much harsher life they had to survive through?
They both had a difficult life of survive.
The young Birmingham male (Osindile) had more than 3 altercations with the Ross males and he didn't abandoned the Birmingham pride. Even the Ngala rangers were doubting how long he will survive with that nasty injury and look at now he walk extremely well.
The Nkuhuma young male had a very hard life too. With the arrival of the N. Avoca males in the northern area of Sabi Sands. That must have been very difficult for him. Especially due his very young age he was just 2 years old and It's extremely hard survive the nomadic life at that stage. However he did it!
I think I can't choose which one of them had the more hardest life because both of them had a similar life.
One of the Southern Avoca males crossing a flowing river on MalaMala Game Reserve
11-18-20
Photo credit to: Zaheer Ali
To witness a big Male Lion crossing a flowing river, is something I’d probably never forget! We waited patiently in the hot scorching sun to witness this happen, was definitely worth the wait.
The Nkuhumas are back in town... Perhaps they heard the president announce that our borders are open to all?
Sabi Sands-Arathusa Safari Lodge-Posted on November 19/2020.
Photo credit to: Ranger Roy Mkansi
HB was very selective when it came to battles and fought some and left a few. But it doesn't change his legendary status. He was involved in more battles than any Male Lion in his Era.
The only time he let go off battles were against Birmingham and Matshapiri. After initially chasing the both coalitions in their first encounter, He left it. That's why i called it selective.
The Matimbas would then fought the Majingilanes.
But The same Birmingham males would then get chased more than twice by Majingilanes..
The same 2 southern avoca males would chase the Matshapiri Males. But were scared to chase a single Ginger Matimba off their kill on MalaMala.
(11-19-2020, 03:17 AM)Slayerd Wrote: I've got a question for everybody. Recently the Birmingham Young Male lion was names Osindile which means 'survivor' in Zulu. A worthy name for the young male who had to survive the Ross Males and his leg injury that nearly killed him. Down south, in Sabi Sands, the Nkuhuma Young Male also had to face his own hardships and had to survive. He was also forced to face dominant male lions and on occasion, had to fight them to survive. He lost his mother and partner and had to look after himself for almost a year. The stress led to him losing condition and his mane until he found the Styx Pride. He is also a true Survivor of the bush. Both Males have similar stories and are similar in age but in your opinion, who had a much harsher life they had to survive through?
I would definitely say BYM had more harsh life. I do not think at all Nkuchuma male had particularly harash life for a male lion, rather around standard one. What it comes to pointing out lions around who I would say had harash life then I would go with:
1. Belly Scar N'was - It is rather obvious that with such injury he has life must be/must have been harash, esspecially through out nomadic stage.
2. Mhangeni 12 - Sub adults from which 2 lionesses had survived. Rather we all know the story of those going through constant hunger. Moreover one of them quite recently had very bad injury to her leg. She lost all the muscle on her leg and it looked like she might not survive much longer, but she fully recovered.
3. BIrmingham young male - He had very bad injury, from which many (great most?) believed he will never recover and with the pressure from Ross males he won't survive.
Then honorable mentions:
1. Xikukutsu male - The male who carried rough injury, possibly gorged by buffalo after which he lost most of his mane which indicates also big loses of condition. Hopefully tho lions like him, in physical prime are very resistant and he made full recover. Why I did put him in list over is that he had back up in terms of food source in forms of his blood brother, Monwana and Avoca prides and had no preasure on him from dominant males in the arena like BYM had.
2. Mbiri males - They were forced into nomadic life while they very just 2 and half years old or somewhere just a bit above that, by the new dominant males in the pride (Thanda Impis). Moreover one of them was killed by the dominant males around Orpen Gate. That is very difficult start for a male lions and why I did not put them in list above is that they did surprisingly great for the position they were put into. 3. Tumbela males - Those guys clearly had very rough nomadic life, facing constant hunger and losing two brothers in that stage of their life. Why I did not put them in the list above is that they spent quite a lot of time with their natal pride. They definitelly did not had rough start. I do not know what really went wrong for them. At their age they should have been able to feed for themselfs especially since they were in quite big group which makes hunt easier.
Why not Nkuchuma male even in the mentions list? First he had 3 years of easy life with natal pride. Then Avocas came. The were tolerating him tho for a couple of months before the put a preassure and when they did so, it hasn't been as rough as whatRoss males did to Birmingham male. He left pride at around 3,5 years old. Then he had few months of nomadic life in which he wasn't doing particularly bad. Then he linked up with Styx pride and his life became even easier. I would stay that is what in avarage wild lion gets from the life.
