Lions of Tanzania (Serengeti, Ngorongoro and others)

[Pckts]

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Crater Male

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Kope Lion
A delayed field update; in July 2018 we received a report of a big male lion on the NCA plains near the border of Serengeti National Park. To our surprise it was the now 8 years old Ngorongoro Crater-born lion MG106, aka “Hjalmar the Dreadful” (his mane often full of muddy dreads). The last time we saw him was many moons ago in the Crater, after he and his companion "Kijana" got ousted from the Lagunita pride by other males. Great news that Hjalmar had managed this risky trek 60 kilometres away from his home-place in the Crater, across the vast plains of the multiuse Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Impressive males like him make an attractive target for the traditional warriors. Finding Hjalmas here, relaxed and in great shape, supports the possibility for lions continued coexistence. We have not seen or heard of Hjalmar since, and we presume and hope that he is safe and well inside the Serengeti.

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This lion, with his distinctive dark mane and belly hair, was recently spotted on our Panthera camera traps. His name is Kalamas and he is well known to the KopeLion team and local community. Recently, some Maasai women told of meeting him at Mt Lemakarot where he was drinking from a spring - he lay quietly and allowed them to collect water undisturbed. Kalamas travels widely, appearing intermittently on camera traps on the Lake Eyasi escarpment, Ngorongoro Highlands, and Kakesio (in the very south of the NCA) since 2015. In November 2015 he was observed mating in the Ngorongoro Crater. Whilst the KopeLion team are very keen to collar him, Kalamas in the Maa language means 'the intelligent and tricky one', given for his ability to evade us!

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