There is a world somewhere between reality and fiction. Although ignored by many, it is very real and so are those living in it. This forum is about the natural world. Here, wild animals will be heard and respected. The forum offers a glimpse into an unknown world as well as a room with a view on the present and the future. Anyone able to speak on behalf of those living in the emerald forest and the deep blue sea is invited to join.
MALAMALA GAME RESERVE | GAME REPORT | February - 2025
THE SAND RIVER PRIDE = 9
2 ADULT FEMALES ± 6 YEARS 7 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE 5 YEARS 1 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE 4 YEARS 6 MONTHS
1 SUB-ADULT FEMALE 3 YEARS 6 MONTHS
2 CUBS 2 MONTHS
2 CUBS 1 MONTH
SOUTHERN CHARLESTON
(5 sightings) "We are finally starting to see this pride grow in numbers as our neighbours to the south have reported at least four new cubs from two lionesses were born in the last two months. On the 1st, the pride was with all five Nkuhlu males north of KK Crossing. The next day, they successfully took down a buffalo bull with the Nkuhlu males further east in the Sand River, where they remained at the carcass until the next day. Four lionesses and one Nkuhlu male were together on the 8th, close to Tjellahanga rocks. On the 12th, a lone lioness was south of Charleston Rocks where it has been confirmed they are currently denning. THE NKUHLU MALES = 5
2 ADULT MALES ± 6 YEARS 6 MONTHS
3 ADULT MALES ± 5 YEARS 6 MONTHS
CHARLESTON Dominant over the Sand River pride. First encountered on MalaMala Game Reserve in 2022 (5 sighting) "On the 1st, all five males were with three Sand River lionesses north of KK Crossing. The following day, they successfully brought down a buffalo bull with four of the Sand River lionesses further east in the Sand River, where they stayed at the carcass until the next day. On the 8th, one male was with four Sand River lionesses near Tjellanga Rocks, while two other males were resting and being very vocal at Charleston Rocks."
(03-06-2025, 11:51 PM)Ngonya Wrote: Crooked Tail #5 with some of his brothers and Sand River pride at the sand river in Tengile
*This image is copyright of its original author
by Bettina Muradás
#5 could be, imo, equally impressive to Smudge and ST, if it weren't for his pesky health matters. The great news is, look how good his mane is looking, I take that as a promising sign. Now, if we can only get him to fill out some, especially in his hind quarters.
Yesterday, 03:16 AM( This post was last modified: Today, 02:30 AM by Ngonya )
2/5 Nkuhlu males in Kruger close to Skukuza, earlier this year around late January / early February.
At that time Snip Tail still looked a bit sore and battle scarred while recovering from the beating by the Gijima males.
Dreadlocks Nkuhlu #3
I've noticed something regarding the Nkuhlu after seeing the vid above, it could be just coincidence, of course, but would Smudge be the least dominant one if all were healthy?
He's the slowest to follow ST to compete for the carcass, it looked like he wouldn't even try if he wasn't seeing the other 2 brothers going after it, which makes me remember some other stuff.
In that video of the Gijima bumping on the 5 Nkuhlu, it was ST who gave chase, being followed by some of his limping brothers. Smudge, however, was seen staying behind, not joining in the chase despite being the only one besides ST with a healthy body, not limping nor anything.
Also, in the sighting of the Gijima clashing with 4/5 Nkuhlu, we see ST fighting the blond Gijima and with him, in an aggressive posture, being likely the one who helped him, was one of the unhealthy Nkuhlu. We saw in the pics after that brief fight that LM Gijima had a bloody wound on one of his himdlimbs, so someone definitely helped ST.
If it's not just coincidence, that could explain why the Nkuhlu underperform despite having 2 prime and healthy males + 3 other brothers that aren't always reliable due to their condition, but do give support when they're in better condition. It could be that Smudge isn't a particularly confident male so you only have ST at full confidence at any given time, the unhealthy ones having to be in a good day to contribute and Smudge not having it in him to begin with.
(4 hours ago)Redroadmale Wrote: Did #6 fully separated himself from his brothers? Last I seen him he was recovering and gaining decent weight
would make no sense for him to do such thing. Its been only a few weeks he hasn't been seen in posts, and likely just wasn't pictured/shared, which is normal at Kirkman's.
