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The Matimba coalition
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We are talking about events happening in the wild bush, the standards of evidence you are demanding are too high for this. Footage/photos of stuff like this are hard to come, we can establish a chain of events with decent accuracy on what probably happened.
1. There is audio evidence of very intense fighting between multiple male lions. 2. We know that the mapogos were in the area and on the hunt for the newly dominant majingalanes. 3. Three mapogos head back west and a week or two later pretty boy appears with a bent spine and without rasta. It's LIKELY that rasta and pretty boy were involved in that confrontation and rasta didn't make it out. Given the events that took place before rasta's disappearance, its quiet likely that this is what PROBABLY happened. Maybe rasta was poached but it's unlikely. In dreadlocks case we have zero evidence of a confrontation, his sudden disappearance suggests he was poached. I am just being objective here.  (09-03-2017, 02:31 PM)sik94 Wrote: We are talking about events happening in the wild bush, the standards of evidence you are demanding are too high for this. Footage/photos of stuff like this are hard to come, we can establish a chain of events with decent accuracy on what probably happened. I replied to your post in the Mapogo thread, we can continue there http://wildfact.com/forum/topic-the-migh...1#pid44351 
From tintswalo
Matimba males Sunday, 15 July 2012 Credits: Darren Roberts-York Another Greek Tradgedy Just after morning coffee, we decided to slowly make our way back to the lodge. It was already after ten o’clock and started to warm up nicely. Little did we know what was in store for us before breakfast. Mpho, our wilderness tracker, radioed in that he was with six male lions and they were killing cubs. Six big males together? We knew who these lions were. The Matimba males! They hadn’t been this far north in a very long time so something was definitely up. We briefed the guests on what was happening, explaining that it was a natural occurrence, hoping that the magnitude of what they were about to see, would sink in. Arriving at the scene, we found two lionesses and one cub, but something was wrong. The cub was struggling to lift itself up. And blood! The Matimba’s had already got to this poor cub. The males were about 50 meters away and the atmosphere was incredibly tense. Then one of the males got up and the females reacted with savage ferocity. They were both eyeing these killers with a well-designed death stare. Baring their teeth, their message was clear: “Come any closer and you’ll get it!”. These males were old hands and had played this game many times, but these females weren’t going anywhere. All the while, the unfortunate cub was trying to remove itself from this predicament. Its back was broken and no matter how hard it tried, it just couldn’t get away. At least mom and aunt were on the defence!  *This image is copyright of its original author Lioness baring her teeth defending her helpless cubThe Matimba males moved away, but only about 100 meters. They were ready for the inevitable. The lionesses can’t stay with the cub for long. We followed the males for a while. They lay down in a shady spot not far from the females, comfort achieved, now just waiting. The males went to sleep.  *This image is copyright of its original author Three of the six Matimba male LionsGoing back to where the females were, we returned to a scene that would melt a stone heart. The mother was grooming the cub, willing it to get up and get away while they still could. The lioness had turned from fierce warrior to concerned mother. With the social bond still strong, she groomed the injured cub. A sad scene re-enacted itself as it had so many times before. We left with a mixed feeling of elation and sadness, a feeling that leaves you confused yet privileged. Mpho stayed with the lionesses for the rest of the day. Later that afternoon the inevitable happened. The instinct of self-preservation took over and the warrior lionesses that had held off six male lions that morning, abandoned the cub. We were getting the updates as it was happening. A few minutes after the females left, the six males approached the cub and within seconds it was over. The biggest male bit and shook the cub, ending the struggle, ending the drama. Chatting around the campfire later that evening, the shocking truth was revealed. These males had been seen mating with these females last year and this could very well have been their cub. It made me think of the story of Hercules. According to the myth, Hercules killed his own children in a fit of madness. He then had to perform incredible tasks in order to gain forgiveness. Who knows what feats these males will perform in the years to come? Note : in fact they killed 4 cubs that day. Thursday, 23 August 2012 Lion Politics - The plot thickens! Our reserve is a very confusing place at the moment as far as our lions are concerned! In this part of the Greater Kruger National Park massive coalitions of male lions wreak havoc in the lion population creating a forthcoming spectacle that will not be for the faint hearted. One of these coalitions is known as the Skybeds males. They were named after a dam in the north eastern part of the reserve where they were sighted first about nine months ago. At this first sighting we found nine males together but kept hearing reports that to the east as many as twelve have been seen together. These males mostly move in the northern parts of the reserve and into the Orpen section of the Kruger National Park. With the six Matimba males in the south, the two Sizanani males in the central area and now these males coming in from the north, a mega showdown is on the horizon. With all these males around, females are finding it increasingly difficult to raise their cubs. Males they mate with are usually part of one of the larger coalitions. Their cubs are either killed by the other coalitions or another male from the same coalition who doesn’t know the cubs. As it is we regularly see eight females and as many as 22 males - a very lopsided ratio! There is another coalition comprising of three very large males that also roam the north. This is now where this story gets very interesting. We recently got a report from one of the Mpumalanga Parks Rangers that six males and a female were not far from where we were. As this was to the north we reckoned it could only be the Skybeds and off we went to have a look. Alfred and I decided to walk in and track them. It was fairly windy day and the conditions weren’t the best for tracking but as it’s all in the job we decided to go off anyway. We quickly found what we were looking for when we noticed places where they had laid down and identified some tracks. After about 20 minutes of tracking we heard the unmistakable sound of a lion growling. Being windy we couldn’t pinpoint their exact location and allowed better judgement to take over. We moved in the opposite direction all the while trying to determine their location. Knowing we’ve done some very good work, we collected the guests and the vehicle, proudly told them our story and started making our way to where we heard the growling.  *This image is copyright of its original author Upon arrival, we realised that the lioness was not growling at us, but rather at one of the males. They were clearly mating! We saw the other males lying in the thick grass, but it was the honeymoon couple that grabbed our attention. We settled down and waited  *This image is copyright of its original author The big male got up and meandered towards the lioness. She looked like one of the Koppies lionesses and as it was right in the middle their territory we thought it must be a Koppies girl! The male was very distinctive. It looked like there was a knot in his tail. This was clearly not one of the Skybeds males originally seen, but possibly part of another coalition we know as the Timbavati males comprising of three males! Could these three be the other three males seen to the east with the Skybeds? They’re bigger and older than the others but could very well be. They were with another three males but most were unfortunately sleeping in thick grass, so getting a picture and confirming their identity was impossible.  *This image is copyright of its original author After about five minutes our patience was rewarded as the male got on the top of his business. We watched these two lovebirds mate as only lions can and after about fifteen seconds the show was over. Only time will tell if these males will settle down and tend the females and future cubs, protecting them from the menace in the south - The mighty Matimba’s. Darren Roberts-York
Friday, 14 September 2012
Lion There is plenty of lion movement at the moment. It has been a bit quiet in the north, but we’ve had very good sightings of the Sizanani brothers as well as the Matimba coalition. As for the females, the Koppies females have been moving around the Main dam area but the Mphiri girls were nowhere to be found this week. Matimba males The Matimba males are a well-known powerful coalition of six males that frequent the central and Southern parts of the reserve and also move in the Northern parts of the Sabi Sands.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author They were seen at the beginning of the week at Bushbuck dam on the Sabi Sand boundary with five males in attendance. We went the next morning to relocate them, only to hear that they were found on a Wildebeest kill on Bee-eater road. This is about 12 kilometres from the boundary which indicates the size of their territory. There were also some scattered sightings of these males around S8 dam and one male was found on a Zebra kill on S10 road. So a fair amount of movement in core of their territory, the south, with the typical Matimba incursions to the north.  *This image is copyright of its original author map of the matimba males movements Saturday, 22 September 2012 Wilderness tracking team on tracking the Matimba lions A coalition of 6 male lions named the Matimbas has claimed the Manyeleti as their territory. This coalition has grown so strong that they have set up shop “so to speak” over a very large area. This coalition as we have witnessed the past 3 years has been growing vigorously in confidence, strength and mystery. Other coalitions and prides also operate in the reserve however very fleet-footedly!  *This image is copyright of its original author The Matimbas have been in several fights with other male and female lions and it was reported a while ago that they killed a young female lion and ate her… On several occasions we’ve witnessed them bring down Buffalo with not to much difficulty. A tracking team has been set-up to establish this coalitions movements, habits and in general to find out “what they do and where do they go when we're not watching?” The tracking team consisting of 2 members lead by our talented tracker Mpho “Hercules”Malapane is focused and determined to find them and other predators on a regular basis. On a recent tracking excursion we picked-up lion tracks. A few females and one large male next to S8 water hole. The area where we found the tracks were consistent with the Matimbas territory. We took about 10 minutes and scanned the area too decipher where these lions went after they had an early morning drink and brief lye-down. Less than 10 minutes later we were on their trail. We started following their tracks slowly. Firstly, we wanted to get a ”feel” for "how" they were moving through the game paths and surrounding bush. After a fair distance of walking we concurred with silent whisper "They are hunting!" While tracking for about 40 minutes the tracks disappeared as a big herd of several hundred African buffalo walked right over their tracks. Mpho then said “We will now keep following the buffalo, they will show us where the lions are...” Rapidly, another 20 minutes passed and we could hear numerous African Buffalo grunting and mooing several hundred meters in front of us. We were getting close! Mpho then said “if we chase the buffalo, we will chase the lion” We then decided to not disturb the buffalo and stay well down wind to avoid being detected. This tactic made lots of sense because if these lions were hunting these buffalo, we didn't want to be a distraction to the event. We slowly and secretively searched the area making sure we do not get spotted by any animal. We could see no track or sign of these lion. We decided to back-track on the rout we tracked in and searched again for tracks. We felt confident the lions did not go to far. Luckily we found some barely noticeable spoor and they were heading towards a large open clearing we know about. At times, open clearings are classic resting areas for lazy lions. We decided to slowly and very carefully approach the clearing as to not make a sound. We took caution to conceal ourselves from possible detection by any animals. At this moment, our hearts were beating louder than the sound of our footsteps! As we maneuvered closer I could not help thinking about the awesome environment we are working in. Not to mention the fact that we have to track lions as a job description... See what we found! We secretly watched and filmed them, sneaked out, fetched the vehicle and spent a rewarding 5 hours studying their behaviour. The one Matimba male was constantly flehmen grimacing as he was testing an Nkuhuma females' reproductive status with that classic muzzled smirk. While these Lions tried to sleep-out the rest of the day they were visited by an inquisitive black-backed jackal. A magnificent male kudu also almost became a late afternoon canapé as he strolled unexpectedly into the sleeping Matimbas! Fritz Breytenbach Sunday, 23 September 2012  *This image is copyright of its original author The best news so far was to see one of the Matimba males being seduced by one of the Mbiri females between Ntzaka loop and Manyeleti Main camp. It was very apparent that he was not the predator here. She started the game of seduction like an old pro with the Matimba male only too happy to oblige. A few days later Fritz found another couple mating between S10 and S11. The female was older and we think it might be one of the Nkuhuma females, as it was in the heart of their territory in the Manyeleti Game Reserve. It’s going to be interesting to see how these males settle down. We are noticing the same males further north more often. It might be that there is too much competition for mating further south resulting in the quest for opportunities deeper into the reserve *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Map of Matimba males movements
Monday, 15 October 2012
It’s so good to be back, after a nice long break. Things have been going really well in the Manyeleti and the bush version of “Days of our lives” continues as per usual! Lions  *This image is copyright of its original author Sizanani males (Nkuhuma male lions) Sizanani Male Lion Taken by Fritz Breytenbach These males, having seemingly taken over the Koppies pride, have had a tough few weeks. It all started out with them feeding on a Buffalo kill on Mazambaan corner while the females had a Buffalo all to themselves a few kilometres away on Helens road. Then all hell broke loose! The Matimba’s were roaring to the east towards Main dam, only a few kilometres away from where these males were feeding. Somehow one of the Koppies females got tangled up with them during the night and the guides found her beaten up again, mating with the Matimba’s. Then a few days later, they had one of the Koppies girls with them at Mantwaan Mphisi pan, close to Helens road. All this Matimba activity eventually drove them north and they were found feeding on a Buffalo carcass at Mantombeni pan. It seems though that this was an opportunistic feeding, as the Buffalo looked like it had got stuck in the mud. Taken by Fritz Breytenbach Matimba males Besides the incursion into Sizanani territory, three males were seen hammering a female down at S10 road in the south. We think this might be one of the Hamiltons females, but she was deep in Matimba and Nkuhuma lion territory.  *This image is copyright of its original author Matimba males movementsTaken by Fritz Breytenbach Introductions are in order. These lions consist of two females and a young male and we have been seeing these lions on and off now for a few months. The male was given the name Mungana, meaning friendly in Shangaan, referring to his laid back and easy going nature. They are very easy lions to view! We are not too sure where they came from, but we always find them around Ndulamiti road, south-east of the lodge. Lucky for them the Matimba’s have only been seen in this area once and it’s outside Sizanani territory. We had two sightings in the last two weeks, both on Ndulamiti road.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Saturday, 27 October 2012 Lion  *This image is copyright of its original author Sizanani Males and Koppies FemalesWe haven’t seen much of our resident pride lately. After all the chaos caused by the Matimba’s a few weeks ago, the Koppies females have been keeping a very low profile. We saw them with the Sizanani males on Panicum road and this was the first time they’ve been seen together since the Matimba’s were in town. The next morning we found the Koppies girls at Wild dog dam and they moved north towards the airstrip. They went into a thicket and settled down for the day. Matimba’s These boys have been fairly busy lately. Two of the Matimba’s seem to have set up shop from S8 dam all the way to Main dam. These are the two culprits that have been giving the Sizanani males uphill. Their week started out with a Buffalo kill on Power lines road and a second buffalo kill was found on Ntzaka loop a few days later. The Sizanani males then roared close to Mantwaan Mphisi pan and the next night both Matimba males were there, almost in exactly the same spot as the Sizanani males the night before. They did the same thing, marked their territory and roared into the night. The next night I found them at Main dam where they crossed the dam wall and continued to mark their territory and roar.  *This image is copyright of its original author Matimba movementsWednesday, 7 November 2012 It’s heating up in the bush as the big cat politics gets more interesting by the day! Just to add a little spice to the casserole we had a new group of lion move onto the Manyeleti. Lion  *This image is copyright of its original author Sizanani males After a rough month of Matimba incursions, these lions have once again settled down. They have been spending most of their time around Tamboti road, AK road and up to Catwalk area. There hasn’t been any major upheaval’s and it’s just been “business as usual”. They were with the Koppies females again on Catwalk east and ended up on a Buffalo kill on Gumede road, less than a kilometre away from the lodge, a few days later. Koppies females Once again reunited with the Sizanani boys, they have found a confidence that we have not seen before. Ever since the Sizanani take-over, they seemed to have relaxed around the vehicles. Patrick first found them not far from Metsikitsoro plains. From there they moved west and killed a small Buffalo at Ingwe Manzi. This was quite a sighting for the guides on drive as a group of 20 plus Hyena were attracted to the kill. Through the day the Hyena moved closer and closer. That evening we could hear the eruption of Hyena’s whooping and lions growling all the way from our staff village. Eric was the first to return and told me that when one of the females got up to drink a Hyena pounced at the opportunity. The tenacious Koppies girls did however hold them off and kept their kill. Skybeds males We only had the one sighting of these two males, that seem to have lost the rest of their pride, at Koppies. Unfortunately this is quite close to where Nduna, the biggest Matimba male, was last seen. He was last reported close to Talamati Bush Camp in the Kruger National Park, which is only a few kilometres from Koppies. Let’s hope they stay out of the big guys’ way! Nduna  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author The new pride These guys pitched up from out of the blue. We first found them on a Wildebeest kill on Buffalo plains. They were quite wary of the vehicles and we thought they may be a group from the Kruger area. They were found the next day on a Kudu kill at Bee-eater drive which meant they moved several kilometre’s during the night and made another kill. They were then found by Mpho north east of Red road a few days later.  *This image is copyright of its original author This group comprises of two adult females and two sub-adult males. One of the females is quite light in colour, but definitely not white. The two young males are probably around two years old.Sunday, 18 November 2012  *This image is copyright of its original author It’s been a fairly good and easy going time in the bush the last while. We have been eagerly anticipating one of the big calendar moments in the bush…. The arrival of a whole new generation of young Impala! The mothers still have them safely tucked away but pretty soon they will come and strut their stuff! Lion Sizanani and Koppies  *This image is copyright of its original author They have been in their core territorial area for the last while and have not had any major dramas during this period. For the last while they have been apart and the males have been trying to re-enforce their dominance over their territory. For the girls though it’s been business as usual. One of their favourite areas of operation is to the south of the lodge. It’s a gabbro area with fantastic grazing and plenty of big grazing animals such as Zebra and Buffalo. So the sightings we have had of them were around Panicum road and Manor house pan. Wednesday, 28 November 2012 The Manyeleti has been really rewarding lately. We are seeing some good work starting to bare the fruits of success. Matimba males  *This image is copyright of its original author The first sighting we had of these males was on Ntzaka loop. This area seems to be a favourite of the two Matimba’s that ventures this far north into the Manyeleti. They were just lying on a big open area, so nothing out of the ordinary. The strange thing about these Lions is that they dominate a large portion of land, but are hardly seen with females. The Mbhiri females also frequent this area but it doesn’t seem like the Matimba’s have managed to settle them down yet.  *This image is copyright of its original author A few days later, we found four Matimba’s together on S6 cutline not far from Tamboti road. Our concern was that this was where the Sizanani male and two Koppies females were. If the Matimba’s got any clue of them, they wouldn’t hesitate to kill the male and they have a reputation for killing females too. Luckily they went east towards Main dam.  *This image is copyright of its original author We had one sighting of these females with a young male at S8 dam. We didn’t see the young Mungana male with them. This was a dangerous place to be, especially for the young male, as it is a favourite area of the Matimba males. The drama continues to play itself out with these Lions.
Sunday, 30 December 2012
Matimba males Hairy belly  *This image is copyright of its original author We had one very interesting sighting of these majestic males. Mpho found three of the males not far from Metsikitsoro plains, close to Main Dam. They were moving quite rapidly and he had his work cut out for him as they took the lead. They got to the plains and were sniffing around. Something had really peaked their interest, but the heat of the day forced them to cut their search off, at least until it cooled in the afternoon.  *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 Mpho noticed fresh tracks of two females heading west into the Koppies females territory. Two of the females had been here very recently and this is clearly what these males were after. The Matimba males have done well in securing a big territory but have not yet secured the females that come with it. It seems they may have some charm issues!  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author That afternoon we returned to where they were left that morning and as it was still very hot they were still blissfully sleeping in the shade. After about 20 minutes they started stirring. First order was to get a drink and they made their way to the small pan on the plains. Like old pro’s, they were on the scent trail again. We followed them and as they found where the ladies had lain down they started Flehmen grimacing, testing every bit of information they could get out of it. One after another, they sniffed and walked. The Koppies females have had run-ins with these males before. This time they were clever enough to outsmart them and luckily got away in time.  *This image is copyright of its original author The highlight of this blog is definitely the return of a small pride of Lion. They are a breakaway group from the Orpen pride and haven’t been seen for more than half a year! Lion Orpen Breakaways  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author The last time these lions were seen was just before the massive flooding that happened in the lowveld. They were pursued by the Matimba’s and several cubs were killed. After that they ventured east into the Kruger National Park and we hadn’t seen them since. Until now! We were having a tough time finding lion. Their tracks were everywhere, but no lion could be found. Mpho got onto it, and as he does it, within half an hour, he had lion.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author We arrived at the sighting and at first thought it might be the skittish pride from Kruger and approached very carefully. These lion did not even look up. The group consists of two adult females, a young female and a young male. The two youngsters were lying on a termite mound and were extremely curious. They afforded us great opportunities to get fantastic shots.  *This image is copyright of its original author After a good half an hour of watching these youngsters and enjoying their posing, they got up and joined the adults. After this sighting it seems they moved back towards the Kruger area.
6 Matimba males at chettah plains May 2012
 *This image is copyright of its original author 3 Matimba males north of Djuma August 2012  *This image is copyright of its original author Photo by Ryan Johnston
Saturday, 16 February 2013
Sightings Update: 7 - 11 February 2013 Credits to Darren and the safari team Photo & Video editing by Darren Roberts-York Koppies females It’s been a bit difficult finding these girls lately as it seem they have moved in a westerly direction into gabbro plains. Unfortunately this is clay soil and with all the water around, it’s as good as trying to drive on an oil slick. We did have one sighting in the last four days but all does not seem well unfortunatley. When we eventually managed to find the youngest female, she was in pretty bad shape. We have been waiting patiently for her to show us her cubs, but when she was found she was no longer lactating and her condition looked a bit worse for wear. She seemed skinny and had obviously gone through a tough time. A few things go through my mind as to what possibly happened. It may have simply been another predator that found her cubs and killed them. Another reason might be that she has been on her own now for a good two months, as lionesses distance themselves from the rest of the pride to have their cubs. This time away allows for the lioness to imprint her scent and sound on the cubs. However, this is also the most difficult time as they have to kill for themselves, by themselves. For a social hunter this is not easy! The second theory is therefore that she wasn’t able to kill often enough to sustain her lactation and in the process weakening herself. It’s not uncommon for young mothers to abandon their cubs. Either way, we are not sure what happened, but it does seem that she has lost her cubs. Matimba males & Nkuhuma females  *This image is copyright of its original author We've had three sightings of these males in the last four days and as always are providing us with fantastic viewings. One concerning sighting was of one Matimba male close to Vulture pan. This is usually an area that the Sizanani males move to when the Matimba males venture into their territory. Hopefully these incursions deeper and deeper into Sizanani territory don't become habitual. Ginger  *This image is copyright of its original author We also found (Ginger) the blonde male with the three Nkuhuma females just off Pungwe access and the two darker males were found close to south gate. It seems that a pattern of their movements have emerged. The three blonde males(Ginger, Hairy belly, Blue eyes) have the southern Manyeleti firmly in their grasp and have completely tamed the Nkuhuma females. The two darker males (Slit Nose and Mono) dominate the central Manyeleti and also interacts with the these females but also the Koppies girls. Induna, the oldest male, moves further east into the Kruger area but at this stage he is only awarding us with infrequent sightings.  *This image is copyright of its original author Nkhuhuma female movements *This image is copyright of its original author Matimba male movementsSunday, 24 February 2013 Sightings Update: 11 – 18 February 2013 This has really been a week where the pieces of the puzzle have come together. Once again the lion sightings have been interesting, but there was also a cheetah sighting and a few leopard sightings to top the cake. We had one good storm and the Nwasitsontso River flowed once again, if only for a few hours. Lions Koppies females  *This image is copyright of its original author These girls have been keeping a low profile since the Matimba males were with them. It’s possible that the additional pressure coming from these males and the disappearance of the Sizanani males has turned their world upside down. Mpho had a sighting of the Koppies females to the south of Mantwan Mphisi pan where they were moving south west towards Ndlulamiti road. After crossing the small drainage line, they moved into thick bush and he was unable to relocate them. This sighting, however short, tells us that they are content to stay put and not run with their males, the Sizanani males. The Matimba males & Nkuhuma females These males have once again delivered exceptional sightings in the last week and these sightings have confirmed the foothold that they have in the Manyeleti.  *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 first sighting we had this week was between South gate and Pungwe access. They were on a kudu kill with two of the Nkuhuma females and two of their young male cubs. At first we thought that the moment the kill was finished, the males would try to find the young males and kill them. The females were really relaxed and the thought that these were Matimba cubs never crossed our minds. To our surprise the males were not aggressive towards the youngsters, except when they approached the food too closely. We are therefore happy to announce and introduce the young Matimba males. These cubs are exceptionally lucky because the area they live in is secured by their powerful fathers.  *This image is copyright of its original author These youngsters are real characters and showed the normal curiosity of young lions. They approached the vehicle, sniffing and trying to get as close to it as they can. It almost seemed like they were egging each other on. After that they started playing and like true brothers, they had to play with the same stick.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Three more Nkuhuma females were found around S8 and Pod Mahogony accompanied by nine little surprises! These must also be Matimba cubs as it is slap bang in the middle of their territory. Slowly but surely they are settling the lion politics that has unsettled this area for such a long time. Hopefully they’ll dominate this area for a while to come. The same three Nkuhuma females were found a few days later on Metsikitsoro plains. Their demeanor was intense and they began hunting a mixed herd on the plains. Impala, Wildebeest and Zebra were all over the plains and the females were using the wind to their advantage. We watched as they started to set up a classic lion ambush. Unfortunately for the lions, the wind changed and the game was up. We followed them for a while as they started moving south again, back to their cubs.
Sunday, 17 March 2013
Sightings Update: 25 February - 4 March 2013 The biggest news from the Bush this week has most definitely been the lion dynamics that is still on its head. The interaction between the Koppies and Nkuhuma females continues and proves the saying, “the only thing you can expect in the bush in the unexpected”. Lion Matimba males & Koppies females  *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 The three blonde males seem to have moved south again and we haven’t seen them this week. We believe that Induna (the Matimba with the stumpy tail) is still spending most of his time in the Kruger National Park. The Nkuhumas  *This image is copyright of its original author The females with the cubs are spending a lot of their time in the deep south and south of our border in the Sabi Sands. We believe that these cubs have been sired by the blonde Matimba’s and a total of twelve cubs are moving around with six Nkuhuma females. The four remaining Nkuhuma’s are the females we’ve been seeing interacting with the Koppies females in the central Manyeleti. It has largely been peaceful interactions with a few moments of aggression, especially aimed at the two young males At one of the sightings, the middle Koppies female launched into one of the young males sending the Nkuhuma’s running. A Koppies girl chased after them and a very excited Matimba male was in tow, charging after all the chaos. It is going to be interesting to see what happens. If they do merge, it could be proof of a historical lineage of lions in the area. Monday, 25 March 2013 Sightings Update: 4 - 19 March 2013 The bush is really starting to dry up and within the next month it will once again begin thinning out. We have noticed that some of the migratory birds are starting to flock and will be heading north very soon. The resident animals are preparing for another brutal dry season and it’s going to be a time of plenty for the predators. Buffalo herds will start aggregating close to permanent water sources, making them easy targets for the prides of Lion roaming the Manyeleti.  *This image is copyright of its original author These males have been in the central Manyeleti most of the time. They are still split, with the blonde males in the south, the dark males in the central Manyeleti and the singular Induna male in the east.  *This image is copyright of its original author Most of our sightings have been of the dark males and their interactions with the Nkuhuma and Koppies females. The middle Koppies female brought down an adult buffalo bull on Helens road and was joined by one of the dark Matimba’s. They have most of the central reserve covered but are continuously pushing further north and west. They were also seen at Khoka moya dam in the north, an area the Sizanani males favoured whenever the Matimba’s pushed them. I’m sure that it’s safe to say that the take-over is complete and the Matimba’s are claiming it all! One of the dark males was also seen on a Buffalo calf kill at the shooting range in the far east of the reserve.These females are still separated and the bulk of their pride still resides in the south with all the cubs fine and looking good. Fritz had a great sighting of the three females and nine cubs on a Zebra kill on Pod mahogany open area. There was some bad news for the Nkuhuma’s though. The oldest Nkuhuma female was killed by other lions at Main dam. We suspect that the guilty lions were the Koppies girls. She was found early morning with clear signs of a lion attack. They were at the Ntzaka sewerage area the previous evening, while the Koppies girls were less than a kilometre away at Main dam. I suppose that all the interactions were bound to boil over at some point and lion politics, in all shapes and forms, is extremely violent. When Fritz returned to the area in the afternoon, he found evidence of drag marks where Crocodiles have dragged her into Main dam. This female had it tough during her lifetime. Her pride was terrorised first by the Mapogo’s, then the Majingalanes and finally the Matimba’s. During her time, the Nkuhuma’s have been split by all these large coalitions of male lions. They have however seem to have found some peace in the reign of the Matimba’s. RIP big girl, your legacy continues!  *This image is copyright of its original author We also had a sighting on S6 open area and ended off the week with these females and a Matimba on a Buffalo kill at the shooting range. We think that this was probably a Nkuhuma kill taken by a Matimba.Koppies females The Koppies fermales were seen with the Matimba males on three occasions. They shared a Buffalo kill on Helens road and were together on separate occasions at Malcoms bridge and close to Ingwe manzi. As mentioned before, we suspect that they killed the old Nkuhuma female, but these things need to happen as it establishes territory and dominance.  *This image is copyright of its original author Sungula pride  *This image is copyright of its original author Our youngest pride has returned! They seem to move mostly in the northern areas of the reserve. Sightings of this pride are still sparse and they are still fairly skittish. Because we’re seeing them more often, we have decided to name them. Previously referred to as “The New Pride” we have now named them the “Sungula pride”, meaning beginning in Zulu. We know that they are related to the Koppies pride as the females have branding from veterinary checks in the Kruger National Park. They are a break-away group from the original Orpen super pride.  *This image is copyright of its original author Their first sighting in a few months was on Red road where they took down a Zebra. We still have to work very carefully with these cats in order to establish trust. Soon enough we’ll have them paying the rent and getting some nice photo’s to show and tell.  (09-10-2017, 05:15 PM)Fredymrt Wrote: Sunday, 17 March 2013The Nkuhumas *This image is copyright of its original author The male subadult in the picture is Junior right ?  (09-08-2017, 11:46 PM)Fredymrt Wrote: Sunday, 30 December 2012 For me the Matimba Males are the most beautiful and impressive looking lions in recent years. Their manes and their faces together with their size make them really an eyecatcher. I mean look at young HB.. *This image is copyright of its original author
Can someone list all the cubs/lions sired by Matimbas
Males: 2 Mbri males currently putting pressure on Mapoza males 3 talamati Males in Kruger (2 in one pride, one joined with Mhangenis) 1 Junior from Nkuhuma Females: 3 adult females in Nkuhuma Pride Sub-Adults: 5 sub-adults (Around 1.5 year old) with Tsalala pride now Can someone add others |
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