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.
(11-13-2023, 11:40 PM)Tonpa Wrote: by james_safariadventures
*This image is copyright of its original author
Such a beautiful lion, he has that Makhulu'esque' nose.
He looks a lot like Uboso ? oh how I miss him
100%, a spitting image, chip off the old block, if you ask me.
Looks just like him in the face, Ubuso/Wide-Nose was always a bit lean looking, though he was quite tall. Most likely struggled to put some real weight on due to the stress on his body from the twisted foot. Floppy Ear is already quite a stocky, filled-out lad so should, hopefully, grow into the specimen his father would have been had he not had that injury.
I'm sure this question has been asked a million times already, but do we know who his mother is? Is he the son of the Rollercoaster, Majingilane or Birmingham daughter?
The only thing we know is that his mother is not the Majing. daughter. So, he's either the son or half sibling of the remaining adult lioness. It's said that she's the daughter of the oldest that died, the Rollercoaster daughter. No one seems to be 100% sure, unfortunately.
I’m pretty sure his mom was the rollercoaster girl he was the biggest of all the young males before they all got killed… does anyone know which Styx girl gave birth first
(11-13-2023, 11:40 PM)Tonpa Wrote: by james_safariadventures
*This image is copyright of its original author
Such a beautiful lion, he has that Makhulu'esque' nose.
He looks a lot like Uboso ? oh how I miss him
Yes, I agree. Wonder if he voluntarily went separate ways from the females, or got run off and spooked my more mature males in the area.... He doesn't look too stressed in recent photos, but there's a healthy amount of wariness to his look, as there should be.
He definitely got ran out of the area plus he’s too young to go nomadic and he’s in Kruger I don’t think he’s ever been in Kruger he might be too scared to come back unfortunately but I hope not
He is definitely not too young to go nomadic. He'll turn 3 in Jan., so in a couple of months. Lions have gone nomadic much earlier. The problem with his situation, is that he could use a partner or two at this stage. Heck, if he had had that around the age of 2, he could have gone nomadic months ago.
The person, (james_safariadventures) remarked that the young lion 'walks with a lot of confidence even at a young age'....so I wouldn't be surprised if he actually took the initiative and left to go at it on his own. The problem with sticking to his sisters is that some of them might soon go into heat (plus with 5 of them...they are a magnet for every male surrounding them regardless), and he does not want to be seen with them then, because bigger males with more testosterone will put him at major risk.
No no no he is too young prime example the 3 othawa boys junior and the mini matimbas too young when they went nomadic floppy is too young if he gets in a fight he really can’t defend himself at 3 years old old compared to a 4 in a half year old male look at the kambulas they went to Kruger but they are much older so they’ll be fine and they aren’t alone. Not saying he won’t survive but he is too young to be alone in Kruger hopefully he finds some friends I don’t think his sisters will go into heat soon look at the southern girls they are older and aren’t ready to mate even tho they have but no cubs those girls have a long time BUT I hope I am wrong but if he was in sabi sands it would be different but him being in Kruger I am very worried
11-15-2023, 01:44 AM( This post was last modified: 11-15-2023, 01:48 AM by BA0701 )
(11-15-2023, 01:42 AM)Ttimemarti Wrote:
(11-14-2023, 09:27 PM)Cath2020 Wrote:
(11-14-2023, 08:39 AM)Ttimemarti Wrote:
(11-14-2023, 08:26 AM)Cath2020 Wrote:
(11-14-2023, 07:10 AM)Ttimemarti Wrote:
(11-14-2023, 06:18 AM)BA0701 Wrote:
(11-13-2023, 11:40 PM)Tonpa Wrote: by james_safariadventures
*This image is copyright of its original author
Such a beautiful lion, he has that Makhulu'esque' nose.
He looks a lot like Uboso ? oh how I miss him
Yes, I agree. Wonder if he voluntarily went separate ways from the females, or got run off and spooked my more mature males in the area.... He doesn't look too stressed in recent photos, but there's a healthy amount of wariness to his look, as there should be.
He definitely got ran out of the area plus he’s too young to go nomadic and he’s in Kruger I don’t think he’s ever been in Kruger he might be too scared to come back unfortunately but I hope not
He is definitely not too young to go nomadic. He'll turn 3 in Jan., so in a couple of months. Lions have gone nomadic much earlier. The problem with his situation, is that he could use a partner or two at this stage. Heck, if he had had that around the age of 2, he could have gone nomadic months ago.
The person, (james_safariadventures) remarked that the young lion 'walks with a lot of confidence even at a young age'....so I wouldn't be surprised if he actually took the initiative and left to go at it on his own. The problem with sticking to his sisters is that some of them might soon go into heat (plus with 5 of them...they are a magnet for every male surrounding them regardless), and he does not want to be seen with them then, because bigger males with more testosterone will put him at major risk.
No no no he is too young prime example the 3 othawa boys junior and the mini matimbas too young when they went nomadic floppy is too young if he gets in a fight he really can’t defend himself at 3 years old old compared to a 4 in a half year old male look at the kambulas they went to Kruger but they are much older so they’ll be fine and they aren’t alone. Not saying he won’t survive but he is too young to be alone in Kruger hopefully he finds some friends I don’t think his sisters will go into heat soon look at the southern girls they are older and aren’t ready to mate even tho they have but no cubs those girls have a long time BUT I hope I am wrong but if he was in sabi sands it would be different but him being in Kruger I am very worried
Nobody knows for certain his age, but Wonky appeared to be quite a bit younger than FE, when he shared a meal with Dark Mane, and he's been by himself ever since, until he just recently found some partners. We won't even mention Tsalala Princess, and the Othawa girls, and the Othawas weren't even 18 months when Sassy passed.
Just trying to be optimistic, I am concerned for him as well, but there is surely hope for him.
(11-13-2023, 11:40 PM)Tonpa Wrote: by james_safariadventures
*This image is copyright of its original author
Such a beautiful lion, he has that Makhulu'esque' nose.
He looks a lot like Uboso ? oh how I miss him
Yes, I agree. Wonder if he voluntarily went separate ways from the females, or got run off and spooked my more mature males in the area.... He doesn't look too stressed in recent photos, but there's a healthy amount of wariness to his look, as there should be.
He definitely got ran out of the area plus he’s too young to go nomadic and he’s in Kruger I don’t think he’s ever been in Kruger he might be too scared to come back unfortunately but I hope not
He is definitely not too young to go nomadic. He'll turn 3 in Jan., so in a couple of months. Lions have gone nomadic much earlier. The problem with his situation, is that he could use a partner or two at this stage. Heck, if he had had that around the age of 2, he could have gone nomadic months ago.
The person, (james_safariadventures) remarked that the young lion 'walks with a lot of confidence even at a young age'....so I wouldn't be surprised if he actually took the initiative and left to go at it on his own. The problem with sticking to his sisters is that some of them might soon go into heat (plus with 5 of them...they are a magnet for every male surrounding them regardless), and he does not want to be seen with them then, because bigger males with more testosterone will put him at major risk.
No no no he is too young prime example the 3 othawa boys junior and the mini matimbas too young when they went nomadic floppy is too young if he gets in a fight he really can’t defend himself at 3 years old old compared to a 4 in a half year old male look at the kambulas they went to Kruger but they are much older so they’ll be fine and they aren’t alone. Not saying he won’t survive but he is too young to be alone in Kruger hopefully he finds some friends I don’t think his sisters will go into heat soon look at the southern girls they are older and aren’t ready to mate even tho they have but no cubs those girls have a long time BUT I hope I am wrong but if he was in sabi sands it would be different but him being in Kruger I am very worried
Nobody knows for certain his age, but Wonky appeared to be quite a bit younger than FE, when he shared a meal with Dark Mane, and he's been by himself ever since, until he just recently found some partners. We won't even mention Tsalala Princess, and the Othawa girls, and the Othawas weren't even 18 months when Sassy passed.
Just trying to be optimistic, I am concerned for him as well, but there is surely hope for him.
Yeah it's more that he's alone than anything. But...
The Tsalala girl had one-on-one, specialist training, with her mother adopting behaviour similar to a leopard to avoid the other lions, and passing that lifestyle onto her. It's not really surprising that she's thrived, though I'm sure we're all relieved that she has survived. The Othawa girls have each other (though they lost their sister early on) and are in an area with very low amounts of 'lion traffic'. On the other hand they were very young.
Wonky is probably the best example of the fact that a young lion can survive on their own. And to be fair, it's been a while since FE and his sisters had the security of pride males and a secure territory. A lot of the Styx cubs/subs didn't make it, and FE is one of the ones that did. So he probably has some decent street smarts. All of my fingers are crossed for FE now that he seems to have begun his nomadic journey, but the sooner he finds a partner or two, the better.
(11-13-2023, 11:40 PM)Tonpa Wrote: by james_safariadventures
*This image is copyright of its original author
Such a beautiful lion, he has that Makhulu'esque' nose.
He looks a lot like Uboso ? oh how I miss him
Yes, I agree. Wonder if he voluntarily went separate ways from the females, or got run off and spooked my more mature males in the area.... He doesn't look too stressed in recent photos, but there's a healthy amount of wariness to his look, as there should be.
He definitely got ran out of the area plus he’s too young to go nomadic and he’s in Kruger I don’t think he’s ever been in Kruger he might be too scared to come back unfortunately but I hope not
He is definitely not too young to go nomadic. He'll turn 3 in Jan., so in a couple of months. Lions have gone nomadic much earlier. The problem with his situation, is that he could use a partner or two at this stage. Heck, if he had had that around the age of 2, he could have gone nomadic months ago.
The person, (james_safariadventures) remarked that the young lion 'walks with a lot of confidence even at a young age'....so I wouldn't be surprised if he actually took the initiative and left to go at it on his own. The problem with sticking to his sisters is that some of them might soon go into heat (plus with 5 of them...they are a magnet for every male surrounding them regardless), and he does not want to be seen with them then, because bigger males with more testosterone will put him at major risk.
No no no he is too young prime example the 3 othawa boys junior and the mini matimbas too young when they went nomadic floppy is too young if he gets in a fight he really can’t defend himself at 3 years old old compared to a 4 in a half year old male look at the kambulas they went to Kruger but they are much older so they’ll be fine and they aren’t alone. Not saying he won’t survive but he is too young to be alone in Kruger hopefully he finds some friends I don’t think his sisters will go into heat soon look at the southern girls they are older and aren’t ready to mate even tho they have but no cubs those girls have a long time BUT I hope I am wrong but if he was in sabi sands it would be different but him being in Kruger I am very worried
Nobody knows for certain his age, but Wonky appeared to be quite a bit younger than FE, when he shared a meal with Dark Mane, and he's been by himself ever since, until he just recently found some partners. We won't even mention Tsalala Princess, and the Othawa girls, and the Othawas weren't even 18 months when Sassy passed.
Just trying to be optimistic, I am concerned for him as well, but there is surely hope for him.
Yeah it's more that he's alone than anything. But...
The Tsalala girl had one-on-one, specialist training, with her mother adopting behaviour similar to a leopard to avoid the other lions, and passing that lifestyle onto her. It's not really surprising that she's thrived, though I'm sure we're all relieved that she has survived. The Othawa girls have each other (though they lost their sister early on) and are in an area with very low amounts of 'lion traffic'. On the other hand they were very young.
Wonky is probably the best example of the fact that a young lion can survive on their own. And to be fair, it's been a while since FE and his sisters had the security of pride males and a secure territory. A lot of the Styx cubs/subs didn't make it, and FE is one of the ones that did. So he probably has some decent street smarts. All of my fingers are crossed for FE now that he seems to have begun his nomadic journey, but the sooner he finds a partner or two, the better.
Couldn't agree more, him finding partners now should be priority #1, it would certainly go a long way to giving many of us some peace of mind.
Styx boy is almost 3, generally lions can survive alone at 2, the issue is that it is more dangerous for nomads below 4 years of age, but it's not like one needs a miracle to make it at 3.
(11-15-2023, 06:00 AM)Mapokser Wrote: Styx boy is almost 3, generally lions can survive alone at 2, the issue is that it is more dangerous for nomads below 4 years of age, but it's not like one needs a miracle to make it at 3.
Very true but you do need a ton of luck I mean he had 4 brothers and they are all gone
@Mapokser Exactly, he's young, alone and nomadic. But as you said, definitely doable.
@Ttimemarti True, but there's probably a reason he is the sole survivor. The saying 'survival of the fittest' didn't come from nowhere. It's usually the most dominant and most capable males in a coalition that are the last ones standing. Some of it will be luck, of course, but hopefully the other part is down to his own good survival instincts.
(11-15-2023, 01:24 PM)NLAL11 Wrote: @Mapokser Exactly, he's young, alone and nomadic. But as you said, definitely doable.
@Ttimemarti True, but there's probably a reason he is the sole survivor. The saying 'survival of the fittest' didn't come from nowhere. It's usually the most dominant and most capable males in a coalition that are the last ones standing. Some of it will be luck, of course, but hopefully the other part is down to his own good survival instincts.
Often with requirements of being cautious enough tough. Too bold (or oblivious to a potential danger) individuals doing fine until they don't. Othawa Male or mini Tumbela as examples from top of my head. Going off topic, there is probably a reason the initially most dominant of the Tintswalos (Ncile) has a snapped tail. Similar with Nkhulus, assertive individuliaties could be more likely to get into sketchy situations.
Wet and muddy conditions made for great tracking conditions on a cool, overcast morning. As we traversed the slippery landscape, a set of tracks caught the eye of tracker Donald: lions! We followed the tracks north. Hardened mud made the exercise trickier than first thought, but we stayed on the trail. As we followed the tracks down the road, it turned out the lions were looking for us. The Styx Pride females strolled down the road straight towards us. The young pride was on the move. A few lionesses had a splattering of red on their otherwise unstained fur; the nighttime must have been profitable for the pride. As it got warmer, they halted their determined movements and took rest in the sands of a small drainage line.
