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The Matimba coalition
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The article from the previous link, by James Tyrrell:
Late last week saw a rare event; some of the Londolozi trackers stumped. Despite following the tracks of the two Matimba males all the way through a sweltering morning, they were eventually forced to call it quits at around noon when the last tracks headed into some extensive grassland in the far south-west of the reserve. No further sign of the males could be found. For another 48 hours the mystery remained unsolved as to where the lions had disappeared to, but two evenings later tracker Life Sibuyi, following tracks of male lions near Londolozi’s southern boundary, came across the partly consumed carcass of a sub-adult buffalo. Male lion tracks were all over the scene, and although Life and ranger Garrett Fitzpatrick did not find the males themselves, it was strongly suspected that the Matimba males were the culprits. Heading to the carcass the following morning, ranger Melving Sambo confirmed that it was indeed them who had most likely made the kill, as both were on site with enormously distended stomachs. Another possibility is that the skittish unknown male who has been glimpsed once or twice in the area brought the buffalo down and was subsequently robbed by the Matimbas, but we cannot confirm this. Whatever the case, we now knew where the Matimba males had disappeared to, and they were far beyond the southernmost point we had previously seen them at. The pink area along the Sand River is the Matimba coalition’s usual territory. To put it into perspective how small an area this is for a coalition of two big males to control, the 4:4 male leopard controls a bigger territory by himself, and he is not a big individual! The pink dot at the bottom of the map is where the male lions were found on the buffalo kill at the end of last week.  *This image is copyright of its original author What had driven them so far south? Only a few weeks ago we viewed one of the Charleston coalition a few hundred metres from the spot where the Matimba males now lay, so finding them so far out of their usual territory was certainly an unexpected development.  *This image is copyright of its original author Recent weeks have seen a number of interactions between the Majingilane males and the Matimbas, with the Majingilane seemingly emerging from each encounter as the more dominant force. The scars on the rump of the lighter-maned Matimba are testament to the fact that this pair have run into trouble recently, so their foray into the south might just have been a way of alleviating some of the pressure they may be under. Whatever the case, they were back in their regular haunt two mornings later, being found by Trevor McCall-Peat just before sunrise as they made their way onto the Londolozi airstrip.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Although other lions could be heard calling way to the south-east (most likely Matshipiri males) and north-east (probably Birmingham coalition) as the two Matimbas moved towards the Sand River, no response was offered by them. They paused on a number of occasions to listen intently, once even listening west, in which direction we could hear nothing. Most likely they had heard the distant calls of the Majingilane, but amidst the vocalisations of three different coalitions from almost all points of the compass, they did not answer back once. This is not the sign of a supremely dominant coalition. I remember when the Majingilane were controlling the area; if they heard even the slightest hint of a rival calling in the distance they would respond almost instantly with a full-throated bellow. Not so with the Matimbas.  *This image is copyright of its original author Both males turn towards the west to listen. Although our ears could hear nothing, it is distinctly possible that their far more sensitive hearing had caught the sound of the Majingilane calling in that direction.  *This image is copyright of its original author Having now returned to their regular stomping grounds, a thin strip along Londolozi’s section of the Sand River, it seems they are content to reconsign themselves into apparent complacency. They were found this morning in company with two of the Tsalala females in the Manyelethi River to the north of the Londolozi camps, having only moved a kilometre or two overnight. It seems we may have to wait for the next incursion from a rival coalition to get the Matimba males moving any great distance again… A very interesting article, as always. 
It looks like the Southern Matimba's borders are closing in on them. Birmingham's to the north, Matshipiri's southeast and the Majingilane's to the west. I bet the Birmingham's will move to the south first.
Tintswalo Lodges
Safari update "We relocated the Mbiri pride on Panicum to start the afternoon off. The Matimba male Lions were also relocated on Wilderness, with their subadult Buffalo kill. The rest of the afternoon was all about general game. In the morning, we found that the Mbiri pride had moved to foot road. Christof went north to relocate the Matimba's, but they had moved off, and some Hyena were finishing the scraps."  *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 Photo credits: Christof Schoeman and Darren Donovan
These two lions are brothers and have shared a territory throughout the nine years of their lives. Their thunderous call notifies other male lions of their presence, a tactic to discourage other male lions from encroaching. (The odd coloring in the video is due to the video being shot in low light without a flash.)
Northern Matimbas.
Tintswalo Safari Lodge, 1-8 March 2016: We didn’t have to go far to find Lions
Matimba males "We only had one sighting of two of the Matimba’s this week, but it was great to see the big males. They killed a young Buffalo at twin pans. One of the Matimba’s had a really bad limp, and it seemed like he might have hurt his back left leg during the hunt. We not sure what has happened to the third of the northern Matimba’s, but we did get some info that he was killed by the Avoca males, that graced our reserve a few weeks back. It seems the end of a phenomenal coalition of Lions, is in sight. The impact that these males have had on the area, has been immense. But I’m no prophet of doom, and the Matimba’s will only be finished, when they’re finished. For now, we’re just going to enjoy whatever sightings we have of these incredible males."  *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 Photo credits: Christof Schoeman and Darren Donovan
Very nice article about the Northern Matimbas.
This two pics of the Southern Matimbas are from the "week in pictures" from the londolozi blog. Hairy belly  *This image is copyright of its original author Ginger  *This image is copyright of its original author
This is so sad. Check out this Facebook post guys.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=859216390890429&id=745666405578762 
If that is true, that is horrific. Just shows the true nature of Timbavati and any other Trophy Hunting reserve.
Btw the Northern Matimbas were originally 4 strong. I heard there's only two left what happened to the other two? Kindly advise thks
(03-15-2016, 11:54 PM)Skybed Wrote: @Spalea Man must never interfere with the animals' life in a wildlife sanctuary. By doing that these murders, criminals, upset completely the future of this lions pride. Without these two dominant males, every cub of the pride is now very dangerously threatened. The dynamics of the apex predators, of the prey-predators system, completely disrupted. |
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