the Selati coalition

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Past sighting report - April 2011

Singita's James Crookes writes about the meeting of the Mapogos and the young Southern/Selati males.

"This was an interaction that we had long been waiting for and speculation was rife as to what the outcome would be. The notorious Mapogo coalition of male lions, quoted as having been responsible for the death of over 40% of the Sabi Sand lion population, have been whittled down from 6 members to a mere three. Coupled with their reduction in number, there is also the factor of age to consider, as these male lions are approaching the upper threshold of their life expectancy. They no longer strut around with the confidence of old and it is evident that they are a lot more wary of who they choose to engage. The 5 Southern Pride males, on the other hand, at about 3 1/2 years old, are only just approaching adult hood. These males, however, are becoming a force to be reckoned with as they have become expert buffalo hunters, providing them with no shortage of protein enabling them to be quite bulky for their age.
There are various permutations which could ultimately prevail, but the consensus among the guides at Singita Sabi Sand is that in the next year or two, as they reach sexual maturity, the Southern Pride males will likely form a coalition that will rival even the Mapogo in their prime. There are also the 4 Majingilane males to contend with, but for the time being, they seem to have settled in the area to the east of Singita. On this particular morning, the Southern Pride were located not far behind the large herd of buffalo and they were watching the herd closely. Having not fed for a couple of days, one could see that their intention was to hunt if the opportunity presented itself. Just then, an update came through that the 3 Mapogo males had been located and were making their way toward the buffalo and, by default, the Southern Pride.
After positioning myself, so as best to take in the scene when these two groups met up, I watched and waited. Although in a clearing, neither the Mapogo nor the Southern Pride had any idea of each other’s proximity until they were no more than 50 meters apart. The Southern Pride was wholly focused on the buffalo and it appeared that so too, were the Mapogo. Suddenly one of the coalition members noticed a South Pride male and picked up the pace without missing a step. The chase was on. The three coalition members managed to isolate two of the Southern Pride males and focused on chasing them. One of the Mapogo chased directly after these two, while the other two coalition members flanked around to limit their escape routes. All of this happened in the blink of an eye. I warned the guests on my vehicle to hold on, and we charged through the clearing trying to keep up so as not to lose sight of the lions. I remember looking at my speedometer at one point and noticing that we were doing 40 kilometers an hour and battling to keep up! Next, the coalition members started to roar while they were running, serving the dual purpose of advertising their territory and helping them locate the other coalition members in order to regroup. This was incredible and something I had never witnessed before. The volume coupled with the frequency makes the vehicle and all the surrounds vibrate, especially given their proximity to us, at only a couple of meters away.
The chase continued for about 3 kilometers, by which time we had lost visual of the Southern Pride.
With the chase over and the warning issued, the members of the Southern Pride managed to avoid potentially dire consequences. The three coalition members then lay down in the road less than 50 meters from Castleton Camp for the rest of the morning. Although the Southern Pride males are not yet sexually mature and pose no immediate threat to the Mapogo, they aren’t that far off. The Mapogo will have realised this and hence the conflict.
Just when we started doubting the character of the Mapogo, having almost forgotten that their notoriety isn’t without reason, they issued a stern warning that they are not yet down and out. There is still plenty of fight left in them. We’ll watch this space closely."

Unfortunately I wasn't able to locate the original article, and I took it from here: https://www.facebook.com/mapogo/posts/past-sighting-report-april-2011-singitas-james-crookes-writes-about-the-meeting-/10153843520583814/ Reply