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.
Mapogo male lion coalition Posted by Greg Coates
Makhulu and Sataan have been mating with a Ximungwe lioness and an Ottawa lioness respectively during the last week. They have however now met up with the third brother and were seen last night taking a bit of heat from a herd of elephant which chased them around for about half an hour. Once the elephants moved off the brothers made their way south and east where they were reported to be tailing the large herd of buffalo just east of our border this morning. They are however now much closer to the area where a Ximungwe lioness has a kudu kill and her cubs. Once the vultures get airborne during the day it is almost certain that the brothers must see them and now know that there is a potentially easy meal nearby. It will be interesting to see what has happened overnight once the big cats have gotten active.
Ximungwe lioness and cubs
One of the major sightings of the week has been this single lioness with her cubs. She managed to kill an adult male kudu all on her own near Nkombe Dam and then brought the cubs to the kill. They have been on the kill for the last three days now and the vultures have arrived in their hundreds. For this reason the mother has tried to bury the entrails and move the carcass under thicker bush but the presence of the vultures and the ever increasing stench is just delaying the inevitable arrival of the Mapogo who were seen coming south towards the area last night. The cubs are looking well though and steal a bit of milk every now and then when mom is resting even though they are feeding mostly on meat now. Lets just hope that Makhulu Mapogo can protect the cubs from Sataan should the coalition arrive at the kill tonight.
08-05-2017, 11:52 AM( This post was last modified: 08-05-2017, 03:14 PM by fursan syed )
Friday, February 25, 2011
Mapogo Male Lion Coalition Posted By Greg Coates.
Sataan seems to be missing! He was last seen about six days ago and was not in top condition. It seems the injury he sustained during the coalitions last confrontation with the large herd of buffalo has taken its toll and perhaps he is just laying low trying to recover. The other two brothers however have been covering a lot of ground and have also been courting various females from the Ximungwe pride. A couple of days ago we found tracks of Makhulu and Skoro with two Ximungwe lionesses which headed into some very thick bush in the Day One river. After some carefull investigation it was discovered that one of the females had recently given birth to four cubs in the area. It was a little nerve racking to have the males in the area as we were not sure what their reaction would be but the brothers did accept the cubs as their own. If Sataan had been there it may have been a different situation.
Mapogo Ximungwe Pride and new cubs Posted by Greg Coates
Some fantastic news is that three of the members now have cubs. The female with the missing end of her tail (Stompy) has two 7 week old cubs which were seen just once as she moved them to another den site close by. And the big news is that another female has FOUR three week old cubs discovered three days ago in the Day One River near McKenzie Camp. She has been very relaxed about having the vehicles around and some great viewing has been had of these tiny cubs already. There was a little concern for their safety when Makhulu and Skoro were seen in the area but they seemed to have accepted them. Just down the road the older female with the two 6 month old cubs has also been providing great viewing as she brings them out in the open in the mornings and late afternoons where she plays with them and the cubs tussle with eachother. It is hoped that the Mapogo will be able to hold on to this territory long enough for these cubs to reach adolescence.
Mapogo Male Lions and Ximungwe Pride Posted by Greg Coates
After having being somewhat disjointed the week before the brothers spent quite a lot of time together this week. Skoro did leave the coalition for a couple of days to court one of the Ximungwe females but otherwise it has been intensive patrolling of the territory including some impressive roaring displays. This may be due to the brief visit of the Southern Pride from the east who have some up and coming young males who might pose a threat to the Mapogo in the near future. On more than one occasion the coalition was seen in close proximity to the large herd of buffalo and then quite well fed the next day. With the abundance of young calves in the herds the brothers are making the most of what are comparatively easy pickings. All three brothers have now also been seen with the 7 month and 3 month old cubs so it seems that Sataan has accepted them (or will not attempt to kill them while Makhulu is still around!). Some sad news though is that the youngest cubs have not been seen since the end of Feb but the mother has been seen and she seems not to be lactating anymore which suggests that the four cubs did not make it. The female that Skoro was courting was also the same mother which further supports the notion that the cubs are dead. Could Sataan be responsible for their dissapearance?
The brothers have been somewhat disjointed this past week with Makhulu leaving Skoro with the Ximungwe pride after the buffalo kill was finished. Makhulu made his way north and to everybody’s surprise joined up with Sataan who returned from the north after a two week absence. The two spent the day sleeping and then awoke to give an impressive display of roaring around sunset. Makhulu then left his brother and was found the next morning having stolen an impala kill from Hlabankunzi and her cub. Makhulu remained with the kill for the rest of the day while Sataan once again disappeared. On the same day Skoro was still with the Ximungwe pride and lazily observed from the shady comfort of a bushwillow tree as the lionesses chased an old buffalo bull. The next morning we found Sataan in the area where the Ximungwe pride had been, very well fed and calling for the pride. The pride had however avoided him by heading north, perhaps to protect the cubs, and he had to spend the day on his lonesome. Skoro chose to keep following the pride and ended up way in the north while both his brothers met up again in the south. Sataan was still looking very well fed and so did Makhulu who seems to have stolen another kill during the night, this time from the cheetah with the drooping bottom lip (Makamisa).
08-05-2017, 05:53 PM( This post was last modified: 08-05-2017, 05:58 PM by fursan syed )
Wednesday March 9, 2011
Makhulu Mapogo and Hlabankunzi Female Leopard.
Posted by Greg Coates
Hlabankunzi was found drinking from a pan one morning and when followed, she lead us back to an adult male impala kill she had made during the night. Her cub was also in the area and both seemed to have had a good feed already. The carcass was however still too heavy for her to lift into a tree which proved to be costly as Makhulu Mapogo stole it during the night. The following morning the two leopards were still in the area but observed the male lion from the safety of the branches of a nearby marula tree. The male lion however left very few scraps and the leopards had to move on without gaining substantially from the kill.
*This image is copyright of its original author
Hlangisa was uncharacteristically found quite far north, right in the heart of Hlabankunzi’s territory. This is proof that she is gaining in confidence and looking to explore and hopefully expand on her core territory in the south. A vehicle returning from drive the next day was alerted by the distress calls of an antelope in the area where Hlangisa was headed the day before. Upon following up, they found her holding a young duiker which she proceeded to ‘play’ with for over an hour. She would let the young antelope go and then chase it down again and again, and even climbed a tree with it still alive. Eventually she disappeared into thick bush with it and all noises seemed to stop suggested she did finally kill it. The continued calling of the duiker must almost certainly have attracted the attention of other predators in the area and when Hlangisa was seen the next day she seemed not have been well fed, suggesting she probably lost the kill. She moved into the area where Makhulu Mapogo was sleeping off his recently acquired impala kill from Hlabankunzi but luckily managed to avoid him, even after he seemed to catch her scent and followed for some distance.
Skorro Mapogo, Ximungwe Pride and Cheetah. Posted by Greg Coates
The last week has provided very good cheetah viewing with two separate male cheetahs being viewed. The first was a younger male who made an attempt on some impala on the McKenzie airstrip but unfortunately failed. He moved east and just as it was getting dark he managed to catch a steenbok. He was left feeding after dark (as we cannot shine a spotlight on diurnal hunters) but was not relocated the next day. This suggests he moved further east and off our concession.
*This image is copyright of its original author
A couple of days later the familiar form of the male with the drooping bottom lip (Makamisa) was silhouetted against the dawn sky. He was found lying on top of a termite mound in one of his favourite hunting grounds, the aptly named Cheetah Flats. He spotted a herd of impala in the clearing and seemed interested but decided against making an attempt. Instead he moved back south and bumped into the Ximungwe pride and Skoro. The startled cheetah took off at pace and headed away from the lions where he no doubt concealed himself as he was not relocated for two drives thereafter. He did eventually show himself again in the afternoon, this time in the clearings to the west and moved north to avoid another encounter with the lions. He again spotted a herd of impala and this time he did give chase. He was lost as he entered the thick bush but some persistent following up by guides at the sighting revealed that he had been successful in catching an adult female impala. He rested a while before feeding and was left as dusk fell.
It has been an eventful last week for these lions. It started off with Makhulu joining up with three of the lionesses and the older cubs just on the outskirts of where the large herd of buffalo were lying up. They lazed about in the open where the cubs continued their playfull ways, waiting for the cover of darkness to make their move. They only decided to get active very late so we did not see them make an attempt on the herd but upon following up the next morning we found them with a subadult male buffalo kill. The 6 month old cubs were there too and provided some good viewing as they scrambled all over the carcass. They also very bravely approached Makhulu and tried to get some reaction from him but he was so full from feeding all night that he did not even bat an eyelid! Skoro was not present for the kill but was found some kilometers away the same morning, sniffing the air and looking for the others. He did eventually find them that night and appears to have got his fill as well. The other big news is that reports from the north and west of our concession have Sataan alive and well. He was seen with a young giraffe kill and appears to have left the coalition to try and establish his own territory. He has done this before when he left with another coalition member (Kinky tail) in 2008 and almost paid with his life as the four young males from the east caught and killed his brother last year. If the young males find him again they will almost certainly kill him as well.
The brothers continued their patrols for most of the week, but were not as united as last week. Makhulu spent the first couple of days on his own down in the south where he followed the large herd of buffalo for a while. His black eye is not looking as swollen anymore and he gave some good roaring displays. In the mean time the other two brothers were with three Ximungwe lionesses up north where they treed Shinzele and the Dam Three Female one morning. They were very well fed and did not move at all even after the leopards had come down the trees and moved off. Later in the week Makhulu did reunite with his brothers but the coalition soon broke up again as Skoro started courting one of the lionesses. Makhulu and Sataan stayed with the other two lionesses that moved south and our last sighting found them very well fed again, suggesting the females are providing well for them.
Mapogo Male and Ottawa Pride Posted by Greg Coates
The Ottawa pride made a very brief appearance one evening around portion 5 up in the north. The oldest female was missing but they seemed to have detected the Mapogo and two Ximungwe lionesses close by. The seven youngsters approached from the east, brazenly vocalising, but still somewhat cautious as without the adult female they are not quite confident enough to tangle with their fathers just yet. The Ximungwe lionesses could be heard replying in the distance and that seemed to be enough to send the Ottawa pride back east again.
The brothers have been quite active this week having traversed their whole territory and providing spectacular roaring displays at dusk. They joined up with some of the Ximungwe lionesses on occasion but were otherwise actively patrolling together. Makhulu appears to be sporting a black eye which suggests there must have been an altercation at some stage, perhaps over food. They did also provide another amazing sighting when they sniffed out an old impala carcass which Hlangisa had treed. Two of the brothers climbed the tree in spectacular fashion and fought over the carcass before it fell to the ground and the third brother claimed it for himself. The tree afterwards bared the scars of the heavy cats having hauled themselves up it, but they did manage to get back down and the carcass was finished in seconds. They moved northwards after the meal and slept it off before again putting on a great roaring display as the sun was setting.
Mapogo Male and Hlangisa Female Leopard
Posted by Greg Coates
Hlangisa has been extremely adventurous this week. She was found far north of her territory and spent the most part of the week tentatively moving through the territories of other females. Perhaps she really is just exploring or perhaps it is due to the intensive activity of the wild dogs denning in her territory, or even the arrival of the Bushlodge Male. One evening she came across an old impala ram kill which seems to have been killed by another leopard. She fed on it during the night but the Mapogo sniffed out the carcass and stole it from her the next morning. Hlangisa moved off and climbed a nearby tree, watching the lions devour her meal and perhaps hoping there might be some scraps once they moved off. It was not to be though as the lions finished every morsel and she moved even further north and west towards the Ulusaba airstrip.
The big news is that the Ximungwe pride has two new bubs! They were first seen a couple weeks ago when the mother was moving them across a dry river bed but since then we have not seen them much. They look to now be about 6 weeks old. Otherwise the other four cubs are still doing well. Sataan has continued his courting efforts and is still paired off with a Ximungwe lioness after three weeks! Skoro has also been mating so it is not only the impalas doing their thing at the moment. Makhulu has been on his own most of the time except for one morning when he met up with three Ximungwe lionesses on the hunt. They killed a young impala which Makhulu claimed and sent the lionesses on their way to try catch something for themselves...which they did! They caught another impala and managed to eat it without being interrupted as Makhulu was busy with the first kill. He ate the whole thing in one sitting and moved off west, no doubt in search of the lionesses again.
All three brothers and the whole Ximungwe pride were seen this week, although not all together. The brothers started off their week by covering a lot of ground and giving some impressive roaring displays in the mornings. With the mornings getting fairly chilly now we could even see the mist on their breathe. They did however split up when Sataan found a Ximungwe lioness in oestrous and proceeded to spend the rest of the week courting her. By the end of the week the other two brothers had also split with Makhulu choosing to go it alone and Skoro choosing to stay with two Ximungwe lionesses and the smaller cubs.
*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 smaller cubs are becoming quite adventurous and spend most of their time tackling each other or pestering their mother, who doesn’t always appreciate it. Their antics have been providing us with hours of entertainment and we hope there will be some more cubs on the way to take over from them as they are growing quickly.
*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 older cubs are still being kept away from the pride by their mother. At the age of 9 months it would be expected that the cubs would be a permanent part of the pride by now. Even so we are still seeing them regularly, and as with their younger siblings they are still providing some good entertainment. One night we found the mother and one cub lazing in the road but could not find the second cub. It was a heart stopping moment as we presumed the worst, only to be reassured by a soft call coming from up in a tree close by! We watched as the youngster uncomfortably balanced himself around the branches and then laughed as he half climbed half fell out of the tree.
Both the Mapogo and the Ximungwe pride have been disjointed this week. The majority of the lion sightings in the week were centred around the female with the oldest cubs that made yet another adult male kudu kill. The size of the kill meant that it would take them a while to consume it which unfortunately meant that it was just a matter of time before other predators were attracted to the area. Makhulu arrived when the carcass was well into its 4th day of decomposition and yet he claimed it, never one to turn down a free meal. This meant the lioness and cubs had got their share and they moved off to a nearby dam to drink and rest on some rocks.
