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Lions of Timbavati
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Sizanani's condition has improved so much, at one point he was struggling to keep up with the pride even.
 (09-23-2017, 06:22 PM)sik94 Wrote: Sizanani's condition has improved so much, at one point he was struggling to keep up with the pride even. Yup.. Skorro is one such a smart Lion.. strategic.. diverting Avocas and helping Sizanani to recover... Also able to single out Avocas in more than one occasion and mauling them...
Credits: Tintswalo Safari Logde
Safari Update Another great couple of days of game viewing in the prestigious Manyeleti Game Reserve! With the days getting longer and temperature increasing, summer is now on our doorstep! Our residential Mbiri pride of lions has been moving in the same areas they’ve been in the last while, they’ve seem to book themselves in permanently at Tintswalo Manor House and was found in this area on numerous occasions! The 3 new Mbiri cubs were seen only once, tucked away in the same spot where we found them the very first day. The Thanda Impi male lions spent most of their time with the Mbiri pride until they were found this morning by themselves doing border patrol in the north eastern corner of their territory. The lone Giraffe male lion that was located last week, reunited with his brothers two days ago and this formidable Avoca/Giraffe coalition seemed unstoppable together. The coalition of five, woke up and walked with quite an awkward and unsteady gait towards kokomoya dam for a drink. The years of fighting and tackling buffalo is catching up with them slowly but surely. We left them at the dam listening to the distant roaring of the Thanda Impi’s, and surprisingly, they were non responsive! We haven’t seen them since. Girrafe Male Lion  *This image is copyright of its original author Mbri pride  *This image is copyright of its original author Avoca/Girrafe Coilation  *This image is copyright of its original author Thanda Impi male lion 'Scorro' feeding on a wildebeest with his cubs.  *This image is copyright of its original author
A few more photos of the Mohlabetsi males
Credits: Bespoke Safaris  *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
Credits: Tintswalo Safari Logde
Safari Update The last couple of weeks, we could sense a change in the dynamics of the Nharhu lion pride, when we discovered two sub adults alone and desperately searching for the their mothers and siblings. On the 27th of September, we managed to locate 4 sub adults quite far in the central north of the reserve. Not even remotely close to the area that the pride was roaming for almost 2 years! Without their mothers and the other 6 sub adults, they tried to stalk a herd of wildebeest, but the inexperiences youngsters gave away their presence within minutes. After the failed attempt, they moved towards the north east and was left at the foot of a granite outcrop on the edge of the Kruger National Park boundary. The 2 sub adults mentioned above, was found on the 29th far south of the other 4 siblings, in an area which the Nharhu pride have been moving regularly the past 2 years, still searching for the rest of the pride. Hopefully they reunite in the nearby future! The Mbiri pride of lions has remained in the area around Tintswalo manor house the last few days! We caught up with the pride on multiple occasions, one of them being at a buffalo kill which kept them busy for a day. The other sightings of them, were when they spent time in the drainage line close to the lodge, where the new cubs were hidden. Because of the lionesses hunting success, the two Thanda Impi males were usually in close proximity for a piece of the cake! The formidable Avoca/Giraffe male lion coalition spent a couple of days around Kokomoya dam area where they finished off a buffalo. Their tracks were found yesterday heading back toward the north of the reserve. Thanda Impi male lions. Scorro(left), Sizanani(right).  *This image is copyright of its original author Safari guide Andrew enjoying a great view of the Mbiri pride on a buffalo kill with his guests.  *This image is copyright of its original author Two of the 4 Nharhu Sub adults that was found far in the north of the Manyeleti.  *This image is copyright of its original author Nharhu sub adult.  *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 'Scorro' Thanda Impi male.  *This image is copyright of its original author Mbiri cubs feeding on a buffalo with their father 'Scorro' in the backdrop.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Sizanani male becoming a Jungle gym for the youngsters!  *This image is copyright of its original author Thanda Impi male 'Scorro'  *This image is copyright of its original author Male from the Avoca/Giraffe coalition.  *This image is copyright of its original author 
Credits to Africa On Foot.
The legend has returned. We don't know how long he will stay to stake his claim on his old turf, but he'll be sure to return. A couple of weeks ago, out of the blue, we noticed an increase in male lion activity. All of a sudden, one of the Trilogy males decided to swoop in, conduct a kill and show us that he is still a silent and powerful king. He disappears without a trace, and then re-appears when our area becomes heavily populated with the presence of other males. Does he only return when he feels that his old kingdom is under threat?  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
There is so much going on in that part of the timbavati. It would be great if we could get regular updates on the lion dynamics in that area, 3-4 young coalitions vying for the same spot.
Credits Chacma Bush Camp
These are the Maseke Males, a coalition of 6 young males that appear to rule the traverse around our camp. We've seen them on a huge buffalo kill over the past week.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
A few months back the last remaining Mbiri male formed a coalition with an unknown male at Talamati area!
Mbiri 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 Mbiri male & Unknown male  *This image is copyright of its original author Photo Credits:Sandra Willis ClaassenThe Mbiri males were originally a coalition of 2 males but one of the males disappeared in 2015. (His brother is missing and presumed dead. not 100% on that.) The Mbiri males were fathered by the Matimbas and they come from the Mbiri pride. This video was taken last year "Its one of the Mbiri males that left with the other breakaways that was part of the original mbiri pride. This is NOT an old male but a young male (of about 3 and a half) thats just in bad condition due to being by himself in a massive open eco system. He did return and meet up with his brothers but on one occasion they mauled him at a buffalo carcass and thats how he picked up the injuries that you see in the clip. They've seen him again few days ago and he is in much better condition."
Meet The Maseke Male Lion Coalition:
Source: https://www.sundestinations.co.za/blog/meet-the-maseke-male-lion-coalition/ Posted on October 4, 2017  *This image is copyright of its original author 6 burgeoning young male lions were spotted cruising down the rocky gravel road in the Maseke Game Reserve. Their swag displayed a sense of youthful confidence and powerhouse of formidable strength. This appears to be their kingdom, and they rule it with a dominant attitude. Our Maseke lion sightings have only been of this male coalition, which begs the question – where are the females? Male lions normally seek our territory with a ready availability of food, water and females! Young males want to continue their bloodline and will seek females to conquer and prides to take over. Lionesses tend to stay in their natal prides for life, and may split-off into sub-groups. In time, we are sure the lionesses in the area will emerge and seek out the coalition. We are enjoying the various Maseke male lion sightings, and in time we will establish their history. Our first sighting of the Maseke crew happened a few weeks when we noticed 6 of them strutting their stuff down the gravel road, scent marking their territory and contact calling. That was our first sighting, so we needed to establish if they were visiting, or if this was their kingdom. Then they were spotted again, just doing what lions do best – sleeping for up to 20 hours during the heat of the day, with not a care in the world. We can confirm that these lions belong in these thickets! Shortly after the this sighting, 4 of the males were spotted tucking into a buffalo kill. We managed to spend over an hour with the coalition, watching the boys gorge themselves on their meaty meal. The following day, a large lone male was seen enjoying a bit of solitude with the kill. He seems to be older than his counterparts, and has a more prominent mane. A few days later in the early hours of morning, this same male was spotted replenishing his thirst on the banks of the waterhole. The complex dynamics within lion prides continuously astounds and baffles biologists and rangers alike. Their behaviour is often textbook, but there are moments that contradict all that we know and understand about lions. Nothing is forever within lion prides, and pride behaviour is always shifting when male cubs come of age. For now, we are enjoying regular sightings of these dominant kings, and seeing them on a kill was most certainly a highlight! These Maseke male lions own the night. And the day. And the land!  *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
Credits Shindzela Tented Camp
The avoca cubs  *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 The 6 cubs from the Avoca pride fighting each other for the last bit of leftovers
Rise of the New Kings
by Melissa Smit | Mar 30, 2017 | Environment, Featured Articles, General, Lion, Special nature events, Tracking, Wild encounters |  *This image is copyright of its original author "Lion sighting on game drive There is nothing more magnificent than seeing a powerful adult male lion, resplendent with his impressive mane encircling his head. Such an alpha male, in the prime of his life, is often seen patrolling the boundaries of his territory with fierce determination. Muscles bulging as he strides along, confident, strong and intimidating. His paws the size of a standard dinner plate – one blow and you know you’re done for – enough to send tingles down your spine. This behaviour is the world of an alpha male: defending the pride’s land by marking the area with urine, and a thunderous roar to warn off potential prowlers. If needed, he will do battle to defend his territory and his pride. The life span of a lion therefore tends to be short and for the most it ends ungraciously and abruptly. Adult males can live up to 12 years of age. The life expectancy of younger lions is much shorter, as the fight for territory is relentless.  *This image is copyright of its original author Photographed by Francois MalanoKapama’s oldest male lion carries the proud name – Makulu Madoda – a beautiful specimen, now aged about 15 years. He has held his throne well, but the golden days are fading – especially over the past couple of weeks – the end now seems to be near.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Photographed by Francois Malano.“For a few years, Makulu Madoda was Kapama’s dominant alpha male – and is still the dominant male of his area,” said Pieter Barwise, River Lodge ranger. “The second oldest lion – Moria Madoda, is also a dominant lion in a different territory. He is about 8 years old and is the leader of a pride of 12 lions.” Moria Madoda  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Photographed by Rassie JacobsMoria Madoda’s three sons are at the stage where the testosterone levels are high and the fight for territory gets fiercer. They are ready to challenge all the alpha male lions on Kapama. It won’t be long before the fight for domination begins.  *This image is copyright of its original author Photographed by Francois Malano“For Makulu Madoda, the oldest male, this means the end. Being everyone’s favourite will bring many tears to the staff and past guests who have been fortunate enough to get to know this magnificent lion over the years. He is known for his mighty roar – hearing it many times from the lodge. He will be missed,” said Pieter. For some lions, Makulu Madoda is the father, and for others the grandfather,” said Collen Maenetja, Buffalo Camp ranger. “I have watched the behaviour of this dominant alpha male over the past few years, seeing him fight, mate and hunt, but now he is difficult to track because of Moria Madoda’s three sons. After my guests and I enjoyed a refreshing sundowner drink recently, we left the area of John’s dam and were fortunate enough to come across the well-known mighty lion of Kapama – Makulu. After quenching his thirst at the nearby dam, he journeyed further down the lonely road.”  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Photographed by Kapama guest - Bent LeragerFor Gregory Heasman, a ranger from Karula, the three sons of Moria – called the Hoedspruit males – soon got the hang of things. “Before we knew it, they were hunting buffalo on a regular basis, making it look easy. After constricting themselves for so many years, they started to move into the territory of Makulu. Three young powerful lions – soon to be dominant males – are a lot stronger than a full grown old male lion. After years of being bullied they are fighting back, taking over territory day by day. They are not stopping anytime soon. They are chasing the dominant male down. This is the life of a male lion. If you are not killing – you are being killed.” Soon to be dominant males source: https://www.kapama.com/rangerblog/rise-of-the-new-kings/
A Fallen King – Kapama Legend
Sep 17, 2017 |  *This image is copyright of its original author It was the year 2,000. Kapama Private Game Reserve had only been established a few years earlier in 1987. One of the rangers had discovered that a very old female lion had given birth to a litter of 2 cubs, one male, and one female. All those years ago, no one at Kapama could have imagined just how significant this addition to our animal family would be. After 8 very short months of trying to keep up with her young cubs and their uncontrollable energy levels and growing needs, the elderly mom abandoned her darling duo. She left them to fend for themselves in the wide-open wilderness of the South African bushveld. The days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. You could see brother and sister moving together, supporting each other, as they grew older. Against all odds, these two abandoned cubs faced the perils of the wild head-on. With terrain of over 14 000 hectares as his playground, the young male lion was free to grow, mature and establish himself on the Reserve. By the time he reached his prime, he was capable enough to take over from another dominant male, who had sadly passed away. At this stage, there were three prides of females on Kapama and during his reign, the now fully grown male had fathered a fair amount of cubs. In 2009, the birth of a little male cub would slightly change his territory size. After about 4 years, his young son, who was now rather quite a fierce contender, stepped into a fight with Kapama’s big male. Even though the younger lion lost, the intensity of the fight split the big male’s territory in two. For years after that, he ruled the northern parts of Kapama while his son ruled the south. 2012 brought a few more additions to Kapama’s biggest pride. One male cub was born early in the January of 2012 and two more male cubs born around about May 2012. These additions pushed the pride number up to 12 by the end of August 2012. After another three years and constant new additions, the pride number was raised to 22 in September of 2015. Shortly after this, the pride started to split up into smaller groups.  *This image is copyright of its original author Some of the pride moved towards the south while the three new males moved north with a group of females. For a limited time, there was peace amongst the lions of Kapama, but it was short-lived. The current ruler was not happy with the northern arrangement and chased the three brothers away from the females. With this separation and living nomadic lives, the three single males formed a coalition. June of 2016, brought the first uprising of this coalition. They fought their old leader, wanting dominance in the north. His age, fierceness, and experience seemed too much for the 3 younger lions and they were unable to defeat him. For a time again, things settled down in the north. A few months later the coalition decided to give the master of Kapama another run for his territory. Time after time, the coalition continuously came back for more. Eventually, it seemed too much for him and he retreated into a small part of the north-west of the Reserve.  *This image is copyright of its original author One evening in late August, the coalition decided they wanted to take everything from King Kapama and add his smaller terrain to their newly acquired territory. However, there was no way he was going to go silently into the night. With the last of his energy and power , the ruler of Kapama put up the fight of his life. With all the strength, might and intensity that one would expect from the King of the Jungle, he went into a final battle to stand his ground. The next morning, my tracker Mateo and I left a bit earlier from Kapama River Lodge on a drive with guests. It was not long before we all heard a loud, intense roar. Over the years myself and all the other rangers and trackers had come to identify this majestic king by his sound alone, and it was no doubt that this was him once again. Little did I know that it would be the last time I would hear his gallant cry. It appeared that the fight the night before had been too much for him. With seventeen years of dominant reign over the Reserve behind him, Kapama’s oldest male lion released his last breath of air during the midday hours of that fateful day.  *This image is copyright of its original author Over the years this iconic lion had become the epitome of what Kapama Game Reserve represents. If you ask anyone from Kapama, without hesitation they will tell you when they see our logo or speak the name Kapama, the first thing that comes to mind is the grandiose image of Kapama’s oldest male lion. It was a sad day for all our staff, especially our rangers who had all developed an indescribable respect for him. He never seemed to disappoint. Whenever spotted on a game drive with guests, he would flaunt his power and dominance, as only he knew how. Always giving our guests exactly what they expected from a lion sighting. He will always be remembered, wearing his mane neatly, combing it as he walked through the bush before leaving an area, slowly and proudly walking down one of the Reserve roads, making sure everyone knew that Kapama was his domain. Although now a fallen king, he will always remain a Legend of Kapama. Story and photos: Ranger Nanette – Kapama River Lodge Copyright 2017 © Kapama Private Game Reserve. All rights reserved | Powered by Dumel fSumo
Image by Johan Adolf Smalman
Sumatra Male. Seen a few days ago at Shindzela Tented Camp  *This image is copyright of its original author
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