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Lions of Timbavati
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 (10-06-2022, 05:17 AM)afortich Wrote:(10-06-2022, 04:01 AM)criollo2mil Wrote:(10-06-2022, 03:26 AM)BA0701 Wrote:(10-06-2022, 01:44 AM)criollo2mil Wrote:(10-06-2022, 01:12 AM)afortich Wrote:(10-05-2022, 09:45 PM)criollo2mil Wrote: This morning we found the oldest Birmingham Breakaway Male at the same waterhole as the two Mongawane Males. None that I know of. He looked great with his natal pride, then next thing you know he's off with his brothers, looking very thin with a damaged leg, then his brothers showed up quite a ways away from him, and his condition had worsened. My guess is disease, such as TB, as even with an injured leg his condition should not have deteriorated so much so quickly. (10-06-2022, 04:01 AM)criollo2mil Wrote:(10-06-2022, 03:26 AM)BA0701 Wrote:(10-06-2022, 01:44 AM)criollo2mil Wrote:(10-06-2022, 01:12 AM)afortich Wrote:(10-05-2022, 09:45 PM)criollo2mil Wrote: This morning we found the oldest Birmingham Breakaway Male at the same waterhole as the two Mongawane Males. That would make for a great team, for sure. Since these boys have a lot of 3+ coalitions around them, that are established with prides and territory, it would certainly be great for their future prospects if they could add to their numbers. I don't know that these larger nomadic groups like the BDYMs, or this Birmingham male's brothers, that are also relatively close by as well, would be very open to adding these 2 males to their ranks. Heck, PC boys could use an extra member or two as well, but that is highly doubtful since they already have a pride and territory.  (10-06-2022, 05:17 AM)afortich Wrote: That'll be awesome if Mongawane accept him. Any known reason why the breakaway boy started to lose condition?? What i originally read was he incurred an injury a while back. Never healed. Then I also heard that he might also have a tick born disease called "Babeosis" in which there is nothing that can be done, lions juat waste away and loose condition then pass. TB also could play a part as well. Without testing tissue samples and whatnot its just speculation but the Babeosis thing is what I've heard.  (10-06-2022, 05:17 AM)afortich Wrote:(10-06-2022, 04:01 AM)criollo2mil Wrote:(10-06-2022, 03:26 AM)BA0701 Wrote:(10-06-2022, 01:44 AM)criollo2mil Wrote:(10-06-2022, 01:12 AM)afortich Wrote:(10-05-2022, 09:45 PM)criollo2mil Wrote: This morning we found the oldest Birmingham Breakaway Male at the same waterhole as the two Mongawane Males. The oldest Birmingham Breakaway male lost his condition due his back-leg injury and very likely a disease 
Machaton Male by Aasf Vigderhouse
 *This image is copyright of its original author
Tanda Tula update
To begin with, the Giraffe Pride spent most of the week within our concession in the west, and there was even a report of the younger cubs from what I can gather. The pride moved in last weekend and sixteen members were found moving back towards our southern boundary, but they stopped just short of it. In the afternoon they turned around and moved back north and spent the following four days in that area. The Sumatra and Hercules males also joined the pride for a bit. The Mayambula and River Pride showed face in the east, and the lone Sark Breakaway lioness was also seen in her usual haunts. However, none of these sightings were the lion sighting of the week.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Late one evening whilst I was out on a little bumble looking for Savannah and her son, who we had found that morning close to Plains Camp, I heard a radio call that I had been hoping to get for a long time. I hadn’t really thought I would hear: “stations, I have located on two male lions…one of them is white”. There was an unusually long silence after that radio call, almost as if the guides were checking to see if the date may have been 1st April and someone was having them on. I was miles away, but my brain immediately calculating how long it would take me to get there whilst not breaking the speed limit. In the end, I knew that eventually the silence would be broken and that the other guides would be taking their guests there and I should leave them to enjoy it. And enjoy it they did! Scotch managed to get there and enjoy a wonderful sighting with two of the Birmingham males – including the white male who last visited us in July 2020 – as they rested before moving off into the darkness. Unfortunately, there were also two large male lions in the area (the guides weren’t sure if it was the Skorro males, or Sumatra/Hercules) but the presence of dominant male lions in an area is a sure way of sending young nomadic lions running off in another direction. It appears as though this white lion moved back south a couple of days later. We can only hope that it isn’t two years until he reappears again, after all, his other brothers did move briefly into our area in July. The Skorro males showed up at Nkhari Homestead the next night, and after a few days absence the Mayambula Pride did return to the east to round off a rather good week of lion viewing.
Cuteness Overload!
We have really been spoiled with some amazing sightings of the Mayanbula Pride. When all the members of the pride are together they are a total of 26 Lions. 17 of which are cubs. The cubs, not only melt our hearts, but also give us some incredible photographic opportunities as they often are normally more busy then the adults. This particular cub started yawning and strecthing before stalking and tackling some of the other cubs. Captured by Field Guide Karel Jacobs.  *This image is copyright of its original author
Tanda Tula update
In true form, the Giraffe Pride made a hasty retreat south as soon as I returned to game drive, but based on the tracks, they were visiting our concession regularly and Ginger and Given did well to track down three of the members one morning before they headed out of the area. Even truer to form, I finished off on my last drive for the cycle and who was found not too far from Tanda Tula Plains Camp? Eighteen members of the Giraffe Pride resting close to our bush breakfast spot, and for a change, they spent the entire day in the area – this clearly wouldn’t have happened if I was on a drive! The trackers did find evidence that the smallest cubs have also been moving with pride and crossing into our concession, so they will show themselves next week when I am on leave. The Mayambula Pride were also out in almost-full force in the east and were located with 24 members present one morning; the only members missing on that occasion were the two Skorro males who were seen almost 14km to the north of the pride in an area they haven’t visited since they arrived in the area over a year ago. An apparent altercation with the River Pride just north of our concession may have led these males to pursue the pride north, which is not a good sign. Not only is this bad news for the River Pride’s younger members who wouldn’t be tolerated by the Skorro males should they want to take control of the pride (I can’t call it a pride takes over as the last remaining Nharu male doesn’t spend any time with them these days), but it is also not good news for the Mayambula Pride as if their dominant males get distracted so far to the north, they will leave a gaping hole for one of the younger coalitions to start moving in. So, let us just hope that this was a once-off journey north from our boys – who we did manage to see once this week when they were resting off fat bellies just east of Tanda Tula Safari Camp. There were no further signs of the white Birmingham male lion this week, but there was a brief visit from the limping Monwana male close to the Klaserie River, and reports were that he and the young Giraffe male made a buffalo kill just off our concession.  *This image is copyright of its original author
A great sighting of the 4/5 Vuyela males drinking water in Klaserie yesterday. The 5th male was about 300 metres away from them, according to the person who filmed this.
That means that all of these 5 males are accounted for, which is fantastic to know after many months of uncertainty. Credit: Africa on Foot Many thanks to @criollo2mil for sharing the clip 
Caution: VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED
 *This image is copyright of its original author Credits: Davis   (10-12-2022, 06:49 PM)Tr1x24 Wrote:(10-12-2022, 06:04 PM)Mabingilane Wrote: Caution: VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED I read that Guerney/Monwana were seen near carcass. Also, most recent sightings showed only 3 together….make me wonder if he got isolated somehow and done in. But it could have been a number of things I guess.
@Tr1x24 Nothing yet, but i have asked so hopefully we will get news soon. Very sad to see this.
@criollo2mil it could possibly be them or the 2 Xikukutsu males. Wt first i thought maybe it was the oldest birmingham breakaway male that had died & i was rather shocked to hear that a black dam boy either got killed or died another way. |
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