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Lions of Timbavati
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BYM was spotted alone at the east boundary of Ngala roaring/loudly contact calling live in the last hour of Sunset March 16 Wild Earth drive. He likes licing on the edge it seems.
Excellent movie about the Sohebele pride in Motswari in 2009. In particular a lot of nice footage of the Old Sohebele male who was 13 yrs old and had ruled his territory for 9 years (a reign unheard of), and the three young Timbavati males who had come to town and were mating with the Sohebele breakaways.
Tanda Tula update
The lions had their turn of being less active this week, and only the River Pride and Nharhu males were seen, but they didn’t make it easy for us and despite leaving tracks all over the eastern sections, they weren’t ever found together – one here, two there…they seem to have forgotten how to be a pride! There weren’t any sightings of the skinny Nharhu male, so I still cannot report on his condition, and I only saw the limping male this week; although later in the week he was also reported to be in a poor condition and in need of a meal. So not an easy period for the pride this week and we can only hope that better times return soon. Dale did see a Monwana male as well as three Giraffe Pride lionesses on a kill last weekend, but it was on a trip to the Timbavati museum and out of our concession, but good to know they are doing well.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
One of Vuyela males, seen with 3 lionesses in Klaserie :
Photo Credit : darryn_wildlife_photography  *This image is copyright of its original author
The Dundee male on the scent of the 2 Balule lionesses, he is a magnificent male lion.
 *This image is copyright of its original author
(03-15-2021, 07:20 PM)Potato Wrote:(03-14-2021, 08:25 AM)Gijima Wrote: Timbavati experts... can you ID any of these males? Photos 3 and 4 are the white faced Giraffe male, Photo 5 is Shaka Matimba
The old Machaton with the Tb elbows is still around Balule, as I believe are his two brothers. He has had those elbows since 2014 when the four Machatons forayed into Shindzela and Ngala, but were repelled by the Northern Matimbas. These boys are the sons of the three Timbavati males who came into Motswari when the Old Sohebele male was still alive in 2009. Image by Themba1991, March 21, 2021.
 *This image is copyright of its original author In that Sohebele pride video I uploaded the other day, the narrator said that one day the old Sohebele left and never returned. In fact he was seen 5 months later at a buffalo kill feeding with his son. Thereafter he was never seen again. His brother Dribbler was described by Greg McCall-Peat as the largest lion he has ever seen, and he was familiar with the three old Skybeds, Mapogos etc. Dribbler was infamously killed by a local landowner in 2006. First two shots are Dribbler. I apologise to the photgrapher as I don't know who took them.  *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
(03-25-2021, 03:11 PM)Herekitty Wrote:(03-15-2021, 07:20 PM)Potato Wrote:(03-14-2021, 08:25 AM)Gijima Wrote: Timbavati experts... can you ID any of these males? I initially thought that all those pictures are of males from a single coalition and so I could not figure them out. I knew that Old Avocas were seen on Ngala by that time, I did not know tho that Younger Giraffe males were seen there as well :o I do wander what pride from is this lionesses which is with Giraffe male. First two pictures must be of Slite Nose Matimba I believe.
The smaller maned #lion of the Xikukutsu brothers who have been running around getting themselves involved in countless battles over the past week.
Looking a little more beaten up at the moment, the boys have ventured into the Deep South of the reserve here at @royalmalewane in South Africa. These brutes are looking set to rule the reserve in its entirety and should provide thousands of hours of great viewing on future #wildlife photographic #safaris going forward.  *This image is copyright of its original author
@Potato @Herekitty Thanks for the IDs. This filled in a lot of missing pieces about what went on in Ngala from 2014-2015. It seems like Matimbas and Giraffe Males were dominant in that area (using that word loosely) and there were cubs born from these males.
Re-posting with credits/labels. _______________________________________________________________ http://www.ljaxphotos.com/photoGalleries/index/ngala-safari-lodge-timbavati-reserve-limpopo/limit:100 JULY 2014- NGALA- Split Nose Matimba (?)  *This image is copyright of its original author Ngala- July 2014- Stumpy- Birmingham Lioness?  *This image is copyright of its original author October 2014- White Faced Giraffe Male w/ Birmingham Lioness (I think--- this lioness looks exactly like the old lioness of the current Birmingham breakaway pride) https://www.wild4photographicsafaris.com/  *This image is copyright of its original author Same sighting- Oct 2014- Ngala- Cubs born to this pride....  *This image is copyright of its original author Credit: Traveling Safari Bug Ngala- 2015- Old Avoca Male? Mating Pair:  *This image is copyright of its original author Young Birmingham Boy (Mfumo?)- Ngala 2014- Ljaxphotos  *This image is copyright of its original author
"Ngala- 2015- Old Avoca Male? Mating Pair: "
White Face Matimba male. Matimba males by that time spent their time in Ngala with Skorro pride. I do not know with who exactly Birmingham and Birmingham breakaway prides spent their time.
Comment of Rudi Hulshof (Thornybush ranger) from facebook group:
Case in point, one of the Xikukutsu male lions had a fight 3 days ago and had an arterial bleed that could have led to his death, fortunately the clotting happened before he bled out, but he lost a good 2 or more litres of blood during a sighting, even going into shock and vomiting before collapsing. Had he died, there are very few “fanatics” that would have believed he died of natural causes and there would be those who would have demanded photographic proof before they stopped spreading rumors that he had been killed by hunters etc. From Lions Of Timbavati facebook page (video in the link): What a sighting! The smaller Xikukutsu male was seen involved on a fight with the Mapoza male! The Mapoza male beaten pretty badly to the smaller of the Xikukutsu male, The Mapoza male later was seen with some of the Monwana females! Video by: Tyrone Soekoe https://www.facebook.com/LionsofTimbavati/videos/3843273849041403 I wander if that he fought Mapoza male is just assumption or was a fight actually seen by someone. https://www.facebook.com/LionsofTimbavati/videos/3843273849041403
Tanda Tula update
After a prolonged period of being split up and not behaving like a pride, or indeed barely showing themselves, the River Pride made a return. Following up on some early morning roars, we found all nine members together for the first time in ages – the females and youngsters were looking good, the limping male was still putting pressure on his injured leg, and the cut-nosed boy was in fine shape. Despite discussions amongst our guides that the third male may possibly have died, he re-joined the pride, but is sadly still looking in a very poor condition and is making me even more certain that it is not a lack of food that is contributing towards his condition, but rather some illness or disease. We are still no closer to knowing where the new cubs are hidden, but the pride’s movements and behaviour continue to follow the same paths, routes and areas that the Mayambula Pride did before they disappeared into to the wilderness of the Kruger Park. With these lions becoming less reliable, it was good to see that the two new prides continued to make themselves at home.  *This image is copyright of its original author The Balule females and Dundee male were around for the majority of the time and were found resting in the Nhlaralumi throughout the week. They also got themselves another wildebeest kill not too far from camp and spent a couple of days feeding on that before returning to the cool, shady sands of the Nhlarralumi. It looks to me like one of the lionesses is showing signs of milk production, so I do suspect that she is pregnant – will they settle and give birth in the same area that the River Pride used a year ago? The Sark Breakaway Pride also returned on our western sections during the course of the week and showed signs that they too had fed recently. So, while we are missing the River Pride, it is good to not be missing our lions too much.  *This image is copyright of its original author
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