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Lions of Timbavati

Poland Potato Offline
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War in the north, brothers in arms with intruders on the boundary…

Recently, our new and incredibly talented Ivory Wilderness family member, Shane, found some young male lions near Nzumba with fresh blood and scratches across their faces in the early morning. Suddenly, these two impressive veterans, Socha and Hosi expoloded onto the scene chasing the suspected western pride youngsters back towards Balule.
Later that same day, we caught up again with these the two experienced males…still on high alert, sniffing the air and scanning the horizon. Nothing bonds lions like a common enemy, and watch these two reinforce their tight connection before a possible evening fight. Impressively these two big cats also seem to have taken over the Dundee or Timbila pride of the north, siring yet another simultaneous set of cubs! What an experience and privilege witnessing these


video:
https://www.facebook.com/IvoryWilderness/videos/5696439933743614




1/6 Black Dam males mating




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Poland Potato Offline
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Tanda Tula update

I do suspect that the baby that has been on most people’s minds – and that includes you, Amber – is the fate of the lost Giraffe Pride lion cub. Quite frustratingly, the pride disappeared for an entire week (which just happened to be the seven nights that I was driving some regular return guests that had never seen the Giraffe Pride before). As luck would have it, the pride – ALL 25 members, including the lost cub – were found on the plains near camp the morning after my guests left, and not only did we have a portion of the pride just behind camp this morning, but another several individuals came walking past camp whilst the guests were enjoying their breakfast this morning. The good news though, is that the cub has been found, and all members are looking great. In the absence of the Giraffe Pride, we were fortunate enough to have the Sark Breakaways spending quite a few days in the western sections, and pushing far further south than we have seen before.


*This image is copyright of its original author



By the end of the week, there were two lionesses, the five subadults, and two of the Vuyela males spending time in the area. With the Mayambula Pride also being absent for the entire week (barring one sighting of the two Skorro males in the north-east), the River Pride made a welcome return to the area and spent the majority of the week within the central part of the concession close to Safari Camp. I hadn’t seen the pride for several months, and it was great to see how the young males were maturing. Sadly the pride has lost one lioness since my last sighting of them (although from all accounts she disappeared a few months back), so they are down to two adult lionesses, one almost-adult lioness (the sole survivor from the 2020 litters), one sub-adult lioness and three sub-adult males, giving us seven lions in total. Later in the week, the pride drew the attention of a single Birmingham Breakaway male, but by all accounts, the lionesses were able to keep him at bay and were the bigger aggressors in the two encounters that were witnessed. This was the same single male lion that began the week with his buffalo kill near our northern boundary. Another lone Birmingham Breakaway male was also found near Nkhari Homestead at the end of the week.

Despite seeing some good lions across the reserve, the best lion sighting for me was the surprise finding of the limping Monwana male and young Giraffe male lions found resting on the plains in the morning. In the evening we relocated them in an ‘acacia’ thicket, but at a nearby waterhole, we found a poor impala ewe that had experienced some major complications with giving birth and appeared to have a still-born lamb inside of her that was rendering her completely vulnerable. As it was at the dam where our wild dogs usually come into the property, I suspected she would meet her end with them, and if not them, then the lions. She had moved into a thicket around sunset, and then after our drinks, we swung past the dam and found the two male lions having a drink and sniffing around in the area. It didn’t take long for the Giraffe male to pick up on the impala’s scent, and once he did we soon heard her being put out of her misery in the adjacent thicket as the Monwana male limped hurriedly in that direction to get his share of the spoils.
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DARK MANE Offline
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Hercules with giraffe pride on 4th December.

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author
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Poland Potato Offline
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CUB CANNIBALISM - A RIVER PRIDE TRAGEDY


*This image is copyright of its original author


Tragedy has struck the youngest members of the iconic Klaserie River pride leading to a rare case of cannibalism observed between the lion cubs. Keep reading for the full story...
The young cubs earlier this year

*This image is copyright of its original author


At the beginning of March this year, the Klaserie River pride – often referred to as a ‘super pride’ due to their relentless expansion to over 30 lions and lionesses under the watchful eyes of dominant males Hosi and Socha – added 3 more bundles of joy to their ranks. With the incredible success of the pride, having lost barely a single cub in the intervening two years, the guides at Klaserie Drift Safari Camps were quietly confident of another successful litter.

After spending their first weeks secreted away in a den, the three, chubby cubs were successfully introduced to the main pride, showing huge affection for their older cousins. For the next few months, the trio grew fast and thrived under their mother’s care. Nothing, it seemed, could stop these lions in their tracks.

In happier times

*This image is copyright of its original author


However, in early November, tragedy struck. With the cubs still not quite old enough to keep up with the pride full-time, guide Wesson visited their latest den site to be met with a scene of utter heart-break. One of the young lions had sadly perished and, to make things worse, its malnourished sibling was feeding on the carcass. The cause of death is difficult to determine, but the signs of malnourishment could mean it was simply starvation.

 
With so many mouths to feed in the pride, the cubs will feed last and may be left with little more than scraps or nothing at all. Wesson said that “it is unlikely to be another predator as the body wasn’t moved or fed on and the other two were not killed with it, which would be more typical predator behaviour. There was a lot of buffalo and elephant activity in the area at the time so it may have been sadly caught up in that activity or may have died due to natural causes”.

After a while, the mother lioness approached the area, contact calling her babies to come to her. However, the two remaining cubs were reluctant to leave their sibling’s side. They motioned towards their mother and returned to the spot, calling her back to them. Hesitant at first, she finally approached, at which point Wesson says the cubs “almost became protective of the dead cub, putting themselves between their mother and their sibling”.

 
Eventually, however, they relented and returned to feeding on the carcass, allowing the lioness to investigate. She exhibited a Flehmen grimace – where an animal pulls up its top lip and draws any scent particles into the highly sensitive Jacobson’s organ – to confirm that this was indeed one of her babies. At this point it is difficult to know exactly what she was feeling as we, as humans, have a natural tendency to anthropomorphise our emotions onto animals. Yet, knowing the exceptional bond that these social cats build with each other, she is certain to have felt something. Not wanting to intrude on such a sensitive moment for long, Wesson left the area shortly after, allowing the female to process the event in peace.
A devastating scene

*This image is copyright of its original author


Though not exactly a common sight, it is also not unheard of for predators to eat their own kind. The reasons for such behaviour may be varied, for example one theory states a male lion is thought to cannibalise cubs during a takeover as a sign of dominance and a female might do it to remove the scent and not attract other predators. In this case, the two cubs were in poor condition so perhaps they resorted to cannibalism as a last survival instinct or perhaps it was simply an example of opportunistic feeding and the fact that it was their sibling was inconsequential. Unfortunately, we can’t ask them to find out.

 

Sadly, since that fateful day, the condition of the remaining cubs appeared to worsen and on the last known sighting only one cub was present. At the time of writing, there have been no recent updates on the cubs and it is thought that all three may have perished.

 

Statistically, only one in three lion cubs survive their first year so, in actual fact, the incredible survival rates of the River pride of late have surpassed all expectations and perhaps this is nature’s way of balancing the table once more. Though heart-breaking to witness, especially when you have watched these little ones grow up over so many months, it is not our place to interfere.

 
An area is only able to hold so many predators before they begin to have a detrimental effect on the environment and prey numbers. As is the way of nature, life and death are intricately linked; the death of one animal gives life to another and, when we involve ourselves, we upset this delicate balance that has evolved over many millions of years. So, with sadness, we observe from the sidelines and hope that, soon enough, there will be new life again in the magnificent River pride.

The last sighting of one remaining cub looking malnourished

*This image is copyright of its original author
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Canada Mdz123 Offline
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(12-06-2022, 06:46 PM)Potato Wrote: CUB CANNIBALISM - A RIVER PRIDE TRAGEDY


*This image is copyright of its original author


Tragedy has struck the youngest members of the iconic Klaserie River pride leading to a rare case of cannibalism observed between the lion cubs. Keep reading for the full story...
The young cubs earlier this year

*This image is copyright of its original author


At the beginning of March this year, the Klaserie River pride – often referred to as a ‘super pride’ due to their relentless expansion to over 30 lions and lionesses under the watchful eyes of dominant males Hosi and Socha – added 3 more bundles of joy to their ranks. With the incredible success of the pride, having lost barely a single cub in the intervening two years, the guides at Klaserie Drift Safari Camps were quietly confident of another successful litter.

After spending their first weeks secreted away in a den, the three, chubby cubs were successfully introduced to the main pride, showing huge affection for their older cousins. For the next few months, the trio grew fast and thrived under their mother’s care. Nothing, it seemed, could stop these lions in their tracks.

In happier times

*This image is copyright of its original author


However, in early November, tragedy struck. With the cubs still not quite old enough to keep up with the pride full-time, guide Wesson visited their latest den site to be met with a scene of utter heart-break. One of the young lions had sadly perished and, to make things worse, its malnourished sibling was feeding on the carcass. The cause of death is difficult to determine, but the signs of malnourishment could mean it was simply starvation.

 
With so many mouths to feed in the pride, the cubs will feed last and may be left with little more than scraps or nothing at all. Wesson said that “it is unlikely to be another predator as the body wasn’t moved or fed on and the other two were not killed with it, which would be more typical predator behaviour. There was a lot of buffalo and elephant activity in the area at the time so it may have been sadly caught up in that activity or may have died due to natural causes”.

After a while, the mother lioness approached the area, contact calling her babies to come to her. However, the two remaining cubs were reluctant to leave their sibling’s side. They motioned towards their mother and returned to the spot, calling her back to them. Hesitant at first, she finally approached, at which point Wesson says the cubs “almost became protective of the dead cub, putting themselves between their mother and their sibling”.

 
Eventually, however, they relented and returned to feeding on the carcass, allowing the lioness to investigate. She exhibited a Flehmen grimace – where an animal pulls up its top lip and draws any scent particles into the highly sensitive Jacobson’s organ – to confirm that this was indeed one of her babies. At this point it is difficult to know exactly what she was feeling as we, as humans, have a natural tendency to anthropomorphise our emotions onto animals. Yet, knowing the exceptional bond that these social cats build with each other, she is certain to have felt something. Not wanting to intrude on such a sensitive moment for long, Wesson left the area shortly after, allowing the female to process the event in peace.
A devastating scene

*This image is copyright of its original author


Though not exactly a common sight, it is also not unheard of for predators to eat their own kind. The reasons for such behaviour may be varied, for example one theory states a male lion is thought to cannibalise cubs during a takeover as a sign of dominance and a female might do it to remove the scent and not attract other predators. In this case, the two cubs were in poor condition so perhaps they resorted to cannibalism as a last survival instinct or perhaps it was simply an example of opportunistic feeding and the fact that it was their sibling was inconsequential. Unfortunately, we can’t ask them to find out.

 

Sadly, since that fateful day, the condition of the remaining cubs appeared to worsen and on the last known sighting only one cub was present. At the time of writing, there have been no recent updates on the cubs and it is thought that all three may have perished.

 

Statistically, only one in three lion cubs survive their first year so, in actual fact, the incredible survival rates of the River pride of late have surpassed all expectations and perhaps this is nature’s way of balancing the table once more. Though heart-breaking to witness, especially when you have watched these little ones grow up over so many months, it is not our place to interfere.

 
An area is only able to hold so many predators before they begin to have a detrimental effect on the environment and prey numbers. As is the way of nature, life and death are intricately linked; the death of one animal gives life to another and, when we involve ourselves, we upset this delicate balance that has evolved over many millions of years. So, with sadness, we observe from the sidelines and hope that, soon enough, there will be new life again in the magnificent River pride.

The last sighting of one remaining cub looking malnourished

*This image is copyright of its original author

With so many members in 1 pride, its obviously hard to feed everyone, which is one most cubs in these super prides die young. However i've never actually heard of a lion cub being so hungry and malnourished that he cannibalises. Are there any other examples or is this new?
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Netherlands Duco Ndona Offline
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Its not that hard to find examples of it online.
Its not common, but not rare either.
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United States BA0701 Offline
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(12-06-2022, 06:52 PM)Mdz123 Wrote:
(12-06-2022, 06:46 PM)Potato Wrote: CUB CANNIBALISM - A RIVER PRIDE TRAGEDY


*This image is copyright of its original author


Tragedy has struck the youngest members of the iconic Klaserie River pride leading to a rare case of cannibalism observed between the lion cubs. Keep reading for the full story...
The young cubs earlier this year

*This image is copyright of its original author


At the beginning of March this year, the Klaserie River pride – often referred to as a ‘super pride’ due to their relentless expansion to over 30 lions and lionesses under the watchful eyes of dominant males Hosi and Socha – added 3 more bundles of joy to their ranks. With the incredible success of the pride, having lost barely a single cub in the intervening two years, the guides at Klaserie Drift Safari Camps were quietly confident of another successful litter.

After spending their first weeks secreted away in a den, the three, chubby cubs were successfully introduced to the main pride, showing huge affection for their older cousins. For the next few months, the trio grew fast and thrived under their mother’s care. Nothing, it seemed, could stop these lions in their tracks.

In happier times

*This image is copyright of its original author


However, in early November, tragedy struck. With the cubs still not quite old enough to keep up with the pride full-time, guide Wesson visited their latest den site to be met with a scene of utter heart-break. One of the young lions had sadly perished and, to make things worse, its malnourished sibling was feeding on the carcass. The cause of death is difficult to determine, but the signs of malnourishment could mean it was simply starvation.

 
With so many mouths to feed in the pride, the cubs will feed last and may be left with little more than scraps or nothing at all. Wesson said that “it is unlikely to be another predator as the body wasn’t moved or fed on and the other two were not killed with it, which would be more typical predator behaviour. There was a lot of buffalo and elephant activity in the area at the time so it may have been sadly caught up in that activity or may have died due to natural causes”.

After a while, the mother lioness approached the area, contact calling her babies to come to her. However, the two remaining cubs were reluctant to leave their sibling’s side. They motioned towards their mother and returned to the spot, calling her back to them. Hesitant at first, she finally approached, at which point Wesson says the cubs “almost became protective of the dead cub, putting themselves between their mother and their sibling”.

 
Eventually, however, they relented and returned to feeding on the carcass, allowing the lioness to investigate. She exhibited a Flehmen grimace – where an animal pulls up its top lip and draws any scent particles into the highly sensitive Jacobson’s organ – to confirm that this was indeed one of her babies. At this point it is difficult to know exactly what she was feeling as we, as humans, have a natural tendency to anthropomorphise our emotions onto animals. Yet, knowing the exceptional bond that these social cats build with each other, she is certain to have felt something. Not wanting to intrude on such a sensitive moment for long, Wesson left the area shortly after, allowing the female to process the event in peace.
A devastating scene

*This image is copyright of its original author


Though not exactly a common sight, it is also not unheard of for predators to eat their own kind. The reasons for such behaviour may be varied, for example one theory states a male lion is thought to cannibalise cubs during a takeover as a sign of dominance and a female might do it to remove the scent and not attract other predators. In this case, the two cubs were in poor condition so perhaps they resorted to cannibalism as a last survival instinct or perhaps it was simply an example of opportunistic feeding and the fact that it was their sibling was inconsequential. Unfortunately, we can’t ask them to find out.

 

Sadly, since that fateful day, the condition of the remaining cubs appeared to worsen and on the last known sighting only one cub was present. At the time of writing, there have been no recent updates on the cubs and it is thought that all three may have perished.

 

Statistically, only one in three lion cubs survive their first year so, in actual fact, the incredible survival rates of the River pride of late have surpassed all expectations and perhaps this is nature’s way of balancing the table once more. Though heart-breaking to witness, especially when you have watched these little ones grow up over so many months, it is not our place to interfere.

 
An area is only able to hold so many predators before they begin to have a detrimental effect on the environment and prey numbers. As is the way of nature, life and death are intricately linked; the death of one animal gives life to another and, when we involve ourselves, we upset this delicate balance that has evolved over many millions of years. So, with sadness, we observe from the sidelines and hope that, soon enough, there will be new life again in the magnificent River pride.

The last sighting of one remaining cub looking malnourished

*This image is copyright of its original author

With so many members in 1 pride, its obviously hard to feed everyone, which is one most cubs in these super prides die young. However i've never actually heard of a lion cub being so hungry and malnourished that he cannibalises. Are there any other examples or is this new?

I had posted a heartbreaking video several months back, though I can't seem to locate it right now, of several cubs consuming their sibling. It appeared that the dead cub had been hit by a car. That particular incident was the first time I had seen such an act from lion cubs, but have since read that it appears that it does indeed happen on occasion.
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Tonpa Offline
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Masungulo male by Ezulwini lodge


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United States kobe8jf1234 Offline
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(12-07-2022, 10:40 PM)Tonpa Wrote: Masungulo male by Ezulwini lodge


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maybe this karma for eating the subs
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Gavskrr Offline
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I hope he manages to recover but in this state it seems pretty difficult, despite the "bad" episodes that are part of his nature if he ends up falling, everything that was done previously would be invalid and still leave his brother exposed, does anyone have in depth information on the happened? Was he picked up by those sub-adults or a pack?
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Croatia Tr1x24 Offline
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(12-08-2022, 12:36 AM)kobe8jf1234 Wrote: maybe this karma for eating the subs

There is no "karma", everyone of these animals is trying their best to survive..
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Tonpa Offline
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His brother is on the cams now 


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DARK MANE Offline
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( This post was last modified: 12-09-2022, 04:57 AM by DARK MANE )

Skorro males with their cubs.
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DARK MANE Offline
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All 4 Birmingham breakaway boys.

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DARK MANE Offline
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Limping monwana male was seen on 1st Dec.

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