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Lions of Timbavati
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Early Friday morning we bumped into one of the Machaton boys on our Eastern border, lying down and fit to to burst. However no kill nearby.
Credits: Sausage Tree Safari Camp  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
Credits: Tintswalo Safari Lodge
Safari Update The last couple of days has been sensational in the Manyeleti Game Reserve! In the far north of the reserve, close to sky beds dam, the Mothlawareng ‘koppies’ lion pride was found snoozing at the dam wall. This area isn’t frequently visited by game viewers in general and the animals seem to be a little shy on approach. There was 3 lionesses with two cubs, approximately 8 months old and two young males thats about 3 years old. Most of the action was happening in the central Manyeleti! The Mbiri pride of lions is still holding on to their piece of land and the dynamics of the pride is unchanged for now. The pride of 17 strong managed to kill an adult wildebeest and a buffalo the last couple of days and all the members of the pride is well fed. The 10 cubs are in superb condition and is growing stronger by the day! The two Thanda Impi male lions have been seen with the pride on multiple occasions, especially when the females made a kill! Scorro male lion, in the best condition his ever been, with confidence oozing from the 8 year old! Sizanani male lion is slowly but surely getting his strength back, especially when its cold, he still walks awkwardly with his impaired and injured hip. The Nharu pride is going from strength to strength. The consequence of excellent maternal care by the Birmingham lionesses is now paying off! Their 10 sub-adult cubs are becoming a force to be reckoned with. These youngsters are almost 2 years old and is participating eagerly in all the hunts, causing the hunting success rate to gradually increase. This pride is in great condition and is still moving in the south eastern parts of the central Manyeleti Game Reserve.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
Rangers Report - July 2017
KAMBAKU LODGES·FRIDAY, AUGUST 11, 2017 The month of July has been a month filled with countless close encounters with some of Africa’s most beautiful and iconic animals. Sunsets, sunrises and stunning starry skies have also touched people from all over the world, stealing a piece of their hearts. Sadly however, we also have to report the loss of, probably one of the most sought after, and iconic animals in the Timbavati…the white lioness. Early on a Tuesday morning, the echoes of lions roaring and fighting filled the cold winter air. Guides and guests alike hurried to get out early to witness the action first hand taking place just outside the lodge. Almost immediately the guides tracked down the Giraffe pride feeding on a buffalo kill very close to Kambaku’s entrance. After a few short moments’ two fairly new nomadic male lions (Mbiri males) entered the scene assisted by the cloak of early morning darkness and chased the Giraffe pride south away from their kill. The new nomads had just returned to feed on their stolen prize when something caught their attention from the South, the 2 Mapoza males of the Giraffe pride, approaching with intent to reclaim what was rightfully theirs. The now already adrenalin and testosterone filled nomads accepted the Mapoza’s challenge with full vigour and successfully chased the resident males off in a cloud of dust and roars!! Unfortunately in all the chaos, the white lioness found herself caught amidst it all and the target of the new Nomads aggression, a fight she was never equipped to contend with!! Her loss brings an end to the White Lions of Timbavati for now but not all is lost, the gene is still carried strong by all her kin and we hope that we shall see their return in the not too distant future.  *This image is copyright of its original author (09-04-2017, 11:25 AM)sik94 Wrote: Rangers Report - July 2017 The Mbiri Males are the offsprings of the Matimba Males, aren't they?  (09-04-2017, 06:32 PM)Lionpower Wrote: The Mbiri Males are the offsprings of the Matimba Males, aren't they? Yes, The Mbiri Males are sons of the Dark mane's/Northern Matimba males From: Umlani Bush camp These are the Mbiri males who are continuing to assert themselves as the dominant males in our area They even managed to chase the Ross males off buffalo kill just the other day. All they need now, is to find a settled group of lionesses in the area and possibly they may even start to establish their own pride. Mini Matimba Males  *This image is copyright of its original author
The loss of a legend, the end of an era- RIP Machaton lioness
Posted on Thu August 24, 2017. Written and photographed by: Greg McCall-Peat  *This image is copyright of its original author On the 24th of August we said our final goodbye to the last remaining lioness of the infamous Machaton pride. She lived a long, challenging life...over the last year or so we have watched this lioness over come the odds time and time again. However recently we have seen her rapidly losing her grip on her long standing reign here in the Timbavati. This lioness constantly surprised us with her will to live and survive, but after recent sightings we couldn't help but feel that it was just a matter of time before she passed marking the end of the Machaton pride. She was located one the morning of the 24th after not being seen for about a week, she was in terrible condition, her body riddled with deep infected wounds and she was skin and bone and clearly starving, being the lioness that she was the reserve ecologist was notified and he came out to assess the lionesses condition, on seeing her he made the decision to end her suffering and humanely euthanize her, as sad as it it is this was ultimately the best decision.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author The loss of this magnificent lioness will leave an emptiness with all that were privileged to lay eyes on her, even in her later years when she was at her worst she commanded respect, her story is one of glory and she showed true wild will to continually beat the odds. The striking thing about this lioness was how smart she was, she had to be to survive in a harsh place on her own, and every bad experience she had she seemed to learn from and adjust in order to make it. After seeing her have her kills stolen time after time from hyenas we eventually started seeing her doing her hunting during the heat of the day, when other predators and scavengers weren't active allowing her to keep her kill and get in decent feeds. Her hunting strategies especially when it came to hunting buffalo was like that of a lion with the support of a whole pride behind her, she wouldn't stalk the herds, she would casually walk right into the middle of the buffalo causing panic and when a buffalo passed close enough to her she would make her move and take it down, quickly and efficiently. She really was an incredible lioness to view, and every sighting we had of this great lioness will be cherished, this blog serves as a tribute to this legend who leaves a legacy that will live on in our memory banks for years and years to come. Time will tell who will fill the void left by the passing of the Machaton lioness, and we have to remember that this is the way of nature no matter how sad it is, new genes will filter into the Timbavati which is important for healthy lion populations and it will be an exciting time for us here to potentially new lions or a new pride move into the area. All is not lost for the Machaton lions though, as the 4 sons of the last lioness are making a name for themselves further north in the Balule Game Reserve where they have moved in and taken over as dominant males in the area, already mating with females and spreading the legendary Machaton gene.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Timbavati male and Machaton males when they were cubs  *This image is copyright of its original author
From Tony Coetzee
The Black Dam Male Photo by Riaan taken in 2013  *This image is copyright of its original author Growing up! The male cub from the Black-Dam Pride has grown into a very handsome young lion, and is now displaying behaviour more characteristic of adult lions (such as the flehmen response seen here). The Black Dam Male Pushing towards 8 years now. Born January 2010  *This image is copyright of its original author "We started the fence removal between Thornybush and the APNR in February this year. After a short delay this 21km boundary is now down completely. Noticeable was how quickly the lions discovered this and the movement was instant. The Mapoza males came in and the battle was on, but within a few weeks things settled with the Black Dam male successfully retaining his territory as a single male.The Giraffe pride made a couple of very brief appearances, but very short and mostly the guides only saw their tracks entering an leaving, apart from the 1st visit which lasted nearly 3 days. Next was pressure from the east and the Ross males made a brief appearance, but again the Black dam male held them off and this single male might be boxed in a bit, but no other coalition has been in or after him for months now. One of the giraffe males were in quickly and took over the southern pride on Thornybush. After killing one lioness and one litter of cubs things quickly settled, but he has been pushed way down south by the Black Dam male. It might be added that he has now sired at least 3 new litters, all between 2-4 weeks old and we have not seen them yet. Yet what was expected to be a quick take over has not happened. actually the opposite and it seems like the Balck Dam male has made himself known as a true beast...which he is. Things are thus pretty much unchanged and the only pride that occasionally pushes in seems to be the Avoca pride (or part of them) usually only when they follow buffalo across, make a quick kill and usually within a day they will be back east." Hope the update is useful...will keep things updated. Would be great to know if any foreseen coalitions are making there way out of their prides any time soon.......  *This image is copyright of its original author Liam Rainier Bush Exposure The Black Dam male lion, keeping these youngsters safe from the Giraffe male who took over the southern pride of females except for this lioness who has separated and moved further north in an attempt to save her cubs. So far so good From: Tony Coetzee "One of the main draw cards was our unattended Black Dam Pride...consisting of 7 lionesses with 5 young females coming into estrus. This was far too attractive for the Giraffe male and he came under the fence long before we had it down in that area. One resisted him and he took her out, one tried to resist him, but he killed her cubs and badly injured her, but then mated with him soon enough. There is still one lioness with cubs that has managed to escape the Giraffe male and she is in a vacuum just too close to the Black Dam male, which is keeping her and the cubs safe with some protection form the Black dam male, although he is not with her often it seems to be giving her the freedom and confidence to hunt and provide for the cubs." From : Marguerite Brunsdon "The beautiful story playing out now comes from a pride of lions found by Wilson in Nov 1991 When he found the first Black Dam Lioness Name Six’s. For referral she is now called Black Dam Matriarch Number 1- They are now the southern pride, although originally from Eastern Boundary of Thornybush Game Reserve She charged Wilson that made Wilson feel a special affinity with her The lioness that escaped the Giraffe male is called Nwana wa Vusopfa which means the Prodigal daughter... She is doing pretty well with her cubs right now."
Another exciting couple of days has gone by in the Manyeleti Game Reserve with lots to offer from the wildlife menu!
In the central areas, the Mbiri pride of lions have had no change to their dynamics and the lionesses with their cubs were found on multiple occasions. The only worry is that Sizanani male lion has not been seen for a few days. His coalition member Scorro, was vocalising regularly into the night, possibly to try locate his brother. Hopefully he turns up in the next few days! The Nharhu pride of lions, were also located on numerous occasions in the areas that they’ve been found most in the past few months! In the far north of the reserve, the 'koppies' pride was also found close to sky beds dam napping on a termite mound.  *This image is copyright of its original author
We have different threads for the lions of sabi sands and timbavati already, thought I should create one for manyeleti lions. The information on lions in the manyeleti is scattered all over the place, now atleast we will have a dedicated thread for it.
But the thread Lions of Timbavati also covers the different coalitions in the Manyeleti reserve, after all the Timbavati is within the Manyeleti.
The Ross Pride Breakaway Lionesses dominate the turf around Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp, which means there really is no room for other lionesses and their birth prides. The own the night. They own the day and, they rule the roost. Despite their hardships and battle scarred bodies, they continue to forge ahead in our reserve. It’s common knowledge that these formidable sisters mate with any male that enters their territory. We’ve seen the Mabande male, the Mbiri males, the Trilogy males and other “guest” males trying to stake claim on undiscovered lands. Some return, some stay, some don’t. Just typical lion pride dynamics! We enjoy a number of Ross Pride sightings, but we do rejoice when we stumble across new males or returning males – it always provides an interesting mix of lion sightings.
Mbiri Males  *This image is copyright of its original author If you’ve read our stories you’ll will be aware of the Trilogy males, of which sightings have dwindled. For months and months on end, two of the Trilogy boys were seen in company of the Ross girls. The were a dynamic foursome. Then the Trilogy boys were driven out by aggressive new males. Then they returned. Then one of the Trilogy returned with a younger male from the Mafikizolo pride. The one thing that has become apparent is that when the Mbiri males, the Mapozas or any other males seek out the company of the Ross girls and try to establish territory, one or more of the Trilogy appear out of nowhere. Do they remain hidden and only emerge when potential threats approach their hallowed grounds? It seems so ! While the Ross, Trilogy and other male lion drama continues to enthral us, we also take note of that ever fearsome Hercules Pride that hangs around on the periphery. They seem to come flying in like an unwelcome tornado, upset the balance, conduct expertly crafted kills and then promptly leave the vicinity. the last Trilogy male  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author The tight Trilogy threesome splintered quite some time ago, and sightings appeared sporadically across our traverse. Then something interesting happened. We noticed two of the Trilogy males keeping company with one of the youngsters from the Mafikizolo pride. A youthful lion that was tolerated by the dominant boys. Subsequent to that, a lone Trilogy male with the straggled looking tooth was spotted in the company of the Mafikizolo male on a regular basis. Now that you’ve a quick history about the ever fluctuating lion pride dynamics, this is what has happened over the past couple of days. The following night, guests enjoyed a surprising sighting of the Trilogy male enjoying the company of the Mafikizolo male ! The two of them were feasting on a buffalo kill. Was this a fresh kill or had they been dining with the Ross girls from the previous night? So, with the presence of the two unknown males in the vicinity of the Ross girls, the Trilogy male returns…As predicted!
Update from Tintswalo Safari Lodge
Safari Update The last couple of weeks, the guiding team suspected that one of the younger Mbiri lionesses might have cubs tucked away somewhere. We can confidently confirm now that another three tiny cubs have been discovered very close to the lodge! We found the Mbiri pride 3 days ago in close proximity to our staff quarters. We followed the lionesses with the older cubs towards the drainage line where they lead us straight towards the new den. The 3 week old cubs, popped their heads out from under a very dens bush and gave us the chance to view them without any objection from the mothers! The guests shrieked with excitement when they laid eyes on the newest additions to the Mbiri pride! Lets hope they grow big and strong like their older siblings! The Thanda Impi male lions were found on multiple occasions within their territory the last couple of days. Sizanani male still keeping up with his stronger coalition member! We were very lucky with another surprise visit from the Avoca/Giraffe male lion coalition in the far north two days ago! The four brothers were found at Sky Beds dam quenching their thirst after a long hot day. Not far from them on the opposite side of the dam a herd of elephant also enjoying a cool refreshment. Needless to say, it was an unbelievable sight! Another giraffe male lion was found in the central northern area not to far away from where the Red rd pride was snoozing. It seems that this male might be spending most of his time either alone or with the Birmingham/Red rd lionesses. The Mohlawareng/Koppies pride was also found on a buffalo kill a few days ago in the north eastern areas of the Manyeleti Game Reserve. With so many lions here at the moment, its going to be interesting to see if it influences the current lion pride dynamics in the reserve the next few months! The Nharhu pride was also relocated on a number of occasions in the south eastern corners of the central Manyeleti! Two of the sub adults were still missing from the pride. The last time one of them were seen, was 6 days ago when the young Nharhu male had a distant face off with a pack of African Wild Dogs, he won the stare-down with no effort! The pack then moved off and harassed a Wildebeest for a while before they finally disappeared into the Kruger National Park.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Thanda Impi male 'Sizanani'  *This image is copyright of its original author Thanda Impi male 'Scorro'  *This image is copyright of its original author Thands Impis  *This image is copyright of its original author Young male of the Nharu pride staring down a pack of Wild Dogs in the distance.  *This image is copyright of its original author Young male from the Koppies/Mothlawareng pride.  *This image is copyright of its original author Lone Giraffe male  *This image is copyright of its original author
Credits to Pondoro Game Lodge.
Machaton male mating with a lioness of Kudyela pride. |
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