|
Lions of Sabi Sands
|
 (03-06-2024, 06:27 AM)KM600 Wrote:Thinks I've been saying n'was but it was gijimas(03-06-2024, 02:47 AM)afortich Wrote:(03-05-2024, 08:59 PM)Ttimemarti Wrote: He’s definitely looking for his brother or he knows he’s gone but why else return to sabi sands when he had a group of young males to hang around 
Singita February report:
After what had felt like an eternity the Mhangene Pride has returned with force. In a very sad turn of events the pride was discovered feeding on another lioness. A highly unusual occurrence as they rarely eat other predators after killing them. This is due to a low-fat content in the body of other cats, including lion. The Nkuhuma lioness, much like her older relative one-and-a-half years back, has fallen victim to the ruthlessness of Mother Nature. Although this seems harsh and unnecessary, this is the path many lions have to take in order to ensure their pride’s survival. The growing cubs are putting more and more pressure on the adults to provide bigger and more frequent meals. The two sub-adults that now remain from the Nkuhuma Breakaway Pride have a tough road ahead of them. Just older than two years of age they would have some experience in hunting and with prey plentiful in the region not all hope is lost. Lions are resilient, if given the chance, they will overcome challenges, after all there is a reason why they are so often the subjects of great stories and legends. The Tsalala lioness is an ideal figure for these two young lions to aspire to. She continues to thrive along the eastern stretch of the Sand River on Singita. One particular morning, while following her she caught sight of a leopard, the Senegal Bush male who just saw her in time and scampered up a tree to safety. A thrilling case witnessing two big cats play out hierarchy of the African bush.
This was what Christina Chang wrote on Facebook with recent informations about the causes of death of Lip Scar Nkuhuma, I can only assume that this is what she was told by the rangers:
The 3rd time to rewrite the post about Nkuhuma boy Lip Scar’s sad passing, and feel it has to be clarified to avoid confusion. We hope this lovely boy RIP. The conclusion is “Singita can’t 100% confirm the cause but suspect he was involved in a lion fight.” So, let’s hold back to say : either lions or buffalo. 1- Guides in Singita were the first to find body. They were following the tracks of 2 male lions, the track led them to Lip Scar’s carcass. Didn’t see who were the 2 males but that area was the route Plains Camp boys often passed by to Londolozi. 2- No direct evidence about buffalo attacking. Didn’t see a big herd of buffalo nearby. 3- Carcass : Upper half of body very clean without any wounds. Lower half body including back/abdomen/butt/hind, was eaten/rotten. His spine broken. 4- They tend to believe if being attacked by buffalos, the body usually looks aweful or trampled rather than being clean and intact. Suspected a lion fight that broke his spine , but no one witnessed so there always could be other possibilities. 
I guess that does indeed settle it.
From what is described here it went pretty quick and without much of a fight. So I doubt the PCmales will have much wounds at all. (03-06-2024, 04:40 AM)T_Ferguson Wrote:(03-06-2024, 04:14 AM)Cath2020 Wrote: Absolutely dynamite T levels in these Mantimahle Males! They are in N'was territory? Where is there pride and how many offspring so far? Are they from the Mantimahle Pride or are their sires the Mant. themselves? Confused a bit. That could have easily be me. They all have the same fathers i.e. sired by the same coalition, the Mantimahles. I am not the one to tell when and in which prides as Mantimahles didn't really operate in Sabi Sands and I know little about Kruger proper dynamics. Obviously, PCM were born into Plain Camp pride which has been located in proximity of Sabi Sands and at times controlled by the same males as at least one of Sabi Sands prides (most recently iirc South Avocas ruled over both Sand River and Plain Camp prides). 
So I believe the mantimahle males got their name from the pride they took over first the mantimahle pride and their oldest sons where born into that pride so we just call them the mantimahle sons I forget where I heard this from tho so I apologize
Tsalala lioness. Saw some speculation on whether or not she's pregnant, guess we'll find out if she is or isn't at some point in the future.
She would be giving birth early this month at the latest if she conceived with the Skorro Young Male.... It's been pretty much 4 months since she mated with him back in early Nov.
 (03-06-2024, 06:27 AM)KM600 Wrote:(03-06-2024, 02:47 AM)afortich Wrote:(03-05-2024, 08:59 PM)Ttimemarti Wrote: He’s definitely looking for his brother or he knows he’s gone but why else return to sabi sands when he had a group of young males to hang around When Tinyo and Nhenha killed OM, he was a tremendously massive male, and it was @Tr1x24 who pointed out the only visible injury, a small area on Nhenha's belly, in a photo taken just a day or two after the event. I would not even have noticed it. So, it is very possible for two males to kill a large male and show no signs of the event. Not saying that is what happened here, just that it is possible. One male is able to hold the male down by the scruff of the neck, while the other works on the belly/groin area.  (03-09-2024, 09:06 PM)BA0701 Wrote:(03-06-2024, 06:27 AM)KM600 Wrote:(03-06-2024, 02:47 AM)afortich Wrote:(03-05-2024, 08:59 PM)Ttimemarti Wrote: He’s definitely looking for his brother or he knows he’s gone but why else return to sabi sands when he had a group of young males to hang around Ye I didn’t mean it was impossible but it’s just not how I’d have imagined it. Dzwihala, for one, was surely nowhere near confident enough to charge at two big territorial males especially without backup and taking into account prior, ppl had claimed the Ndzengas had chased the Talamati boys. His body not being found nor any injuries from the Gijimas is to me not definite proof, but leads me more to believing he made it into KNP. (03-09-2024, 09:36 PM)KM600 Wrote:(03-09-2024, 09:06 PM)BA0701 Wrote:(03-06-2024, 06:27 AM)KM600 Wrote:(03-06-2024, 02:47 AM)afortich Wrote:(03-05-2024, 08:59 PM)Ttimemarti Wrote: He’s definitely looking for his brother or he knows he’s gone but why else return to sabi sands when he had a group of young males to hang around Believe me, I get it. It was hard for me to fathom that such a massive beast as OM didn't leave much of a mark when that happened. I expected someone to come out looking like Loonkito, after such a fight. Honestly, I still maintain hope that Dzwihala might suddenly pop up out of nowhere, Makhulu and PB style, but the current reality tells me that my hope might be misplaced. There are a lot of areas in Kruger for a lion to go off the grid for as long as he'd like, maybe he is hanging out someplace like that. We might never know, but hopefully we'll get some answers at some point.
Yea, he could very well be 'lost' in the KNP....just like other males alive, but rarely seen: the Torchwood/B'ham Males, the Mopanis...etc. I'm only holding out a slight hope because he wasn't always loyally by his cousin's/half-brother's side.... They were not THAT tight, certainly not like blood brothers from the same litter. Maybe he was separated and got chased far away...or caught and injured and had to lay low many kilometers away from the area last seen. During recovery, he could be disorientated and lost, thus making his home another area of the park entirely.
(03-09-2024, 09:49 PM)BA0701 Wrote:(03-09-2024, 09:36 PM)KM600 Wrote:(03-09-2024, 09:06 PM)BA0701 Wrote:(03-06-2024, 06:27 AM)KM600 Wrote:(03-06-2024, 02:47 AM)afortich Wrote:(03-05-2024, 08:59 PM)Ttimemarti Wrote: He’s definitely looking for his brother or he knows he’s gone but why else return to sabi sands when he had a group of young males to hang around I think another thing that allows me to have some belief in Dzwihala still being alive is the positioning of Khanya when he went into KNP. As already mentioned it’s known the bond between them certainly wasn’t the strongest so it would make sense for them to separate after the Gijima chase if Dzwihala had indeed survived. Then Khanya went far South deep into KNP, which logically thinking could be a reason why they never reunited. I’d love nothing more than seeing Dzwihala make a return to Sabi Sands. 
Nkuhuma young male with the orange eyes and black mane, son of the Northern Avoca males
 |
| Users browsing this thread: |
| 54 Guest(s) |