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the Selati coalition
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Credits to Christof Schoeman - Tintswalo Safari Lodge.
Yesterday, the Talamati pride was also found on Buffelshoek access. Sadly, we were also informed that the ginger Selati male Lion had also died a few days ago. This morning, the Talamati pride and lone Selati male Lion were found very close to Buffelshoek camp.  *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
RIP Selati no 4 aka Ginger Mane Selati Male Lion
The Talamati prides hope lies in this last remaining Selati male. It has been confirmed that the ginger maned brother has been found dead a few days ago. This morning we spent some time with the Talamati pride in the South of the reserve. Remaining Selati Male  *This image is copyright of its original author https://www.facebook.com/christofschoemanwildlifephotography/photos/a.209017235880204.47141.207299006052027/1237157183066199/?type=3&hc_location=ufi 
I always feel a bit sad for the selati coalition. To me they are probably the best looking lions in sabi sands, specially the last selati that's still alive, and are pretty big as well. But to have coalitions like the majingalanes and the mapogos around, and the now the bboys. Life's been tough for the selatis, not much they could have done about it.
RIP. 
Southern Pride/Selati male lions in 2011
Here original text and photographic Posted by Greg Coates Friday, June 24, 2011 "Probably the sighting of the last two weeks was the Southern Pride taking down a buffalo right outside the lodge. As we departed on morning drive we came across the large herd of buffalo in Savanna big clearing, which is not unusual, but they seemed restless and movement in the grass revealed why. Barely fifty meters from the herd were four young males and one young female from the southern pride.  *This image is copyright of its original author They had just taken down a buffalo bull and were starting to feed while the herd looked on. The pride was somewhat uneasy though and kept a high vigil, the slightest disturbances sending them running from the carcass. We later found out the reason for their nervousness was that they had just had an encounter with the Majingilane coalition in the east which proved fatal for one of the young males. So with their confidence low and knowing that they were in Mapogo territory they just could not settle down and actually left the carcass during the day and went back east."  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author And These pics were taken in sep 2011 at Elephant plains or Arathusa  *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
Wildlife Report
For the month of January, 2014 Selati males vs sparta male lion Turn up the tension Article by Ross Couper "The Selati male lions continue to reign supreme in the north and the west of Singita, even though they've lost one of their coalition members. Two of the Selati males moved south for a few days and they had a successful kill of a buffalo cow that they fed on for two days. Lions are the most visible, most gregarious and nosiest of all the cats. The patriarchs, regal with their large manes of hair as fragmented as dry grass, dominate the territories and invisible lines are drawn between prides. As dawn broke across the grass plains we could hear distant roaring. After a few minutes it was evident that the roaring was coming from more than one lion. As we continued our route towards the sound we realised that the roars were further and further south, as if the two animals were moving very quickly. We eventually got sight of a single male and in a zigzag motion he continued to mark his territory and emit short grunt roars. A second male appeared and they both swiftly changed direction again, this time heading further east. We were now bordering the area where the Mashingalane male lions roam. In the distance we could see a third lion. Was this the battle that we had all been waiting for between the great coalitions of the east and the west? The Mashingalane males currently out-number the Selati males by one, and are a force to be reckoned with. As we approached the single male we noticed that the Selati males had already attacked him, as there were bite wounds around his rump and close to his spine. It was also noted that he was younger and smaller despite his darkened mane of hair. The two Selati males approached the third male cautiously but valiant enough to have short bursts of charging the male lion into submission, and instinctively the single young male lion sat on his hindquarters and moved his body in a circular motion to protect his spine and rump area. Teeth were exposed in a fierce grimace towards the two male lions.Within the short time that we saw this interaction several fights broke out between the three males and often with the two Selati males taking advantage of the fact that they could attack from various sides, keeping the single male lion at a disadvantage and inflicting more bite marks around his rump. After a couple of hours the three lions settled down and lay in the shade a short distance from each other. The exertion of the fight had exhausted the males. The two males then stood up and walked off from the third male and headed back west roaring again as they moved through the long grass. The third male was identified as the Sparta male that had been seen on a few occasions with the Tsalala male. They both were initially seen on a wildebeest carcass and were later chased by a large herd of buffalo. The Tsalala male lion was much larger than the Sparta male. The Sparta and Tsalala male lions had ventured from the south obviously in search of territory and we saw them on several occasions after the wildebeest carcass incident. They had disappeared for approximately two weeks since then. We returned later in the afternoon to the area where the Sparta male was lying in long grass, in the shade. Nearby was a small pool of water that had accumulated from the rain. He had been rolling in it and was lying on his back to avoid the flies from bothering his wounds.  *This image is copyright of its original author The following afternoon we found the male again in long grass, still lying on his back, but he had moved a considerable distance therefore his injury was not life-threatening. We stopped for a sundowner before deciding to return to the sighting. As we stood listening to the silence of the bush, we suddenly heard a lion roar just to the west of where we were standing approximately 200 metres in the bush.As the light faded we all stood motionless with our binoculars to try and find the male. Finally he put his head up in the long grass. As the light faded we packed up our sundowners and decided to head back to lodge and not put unnecessary strain on the Sparta male that was not too far away from the roaring lion. The following day the Sparta male was seen still in the same position, but by the afternoon he'd gone and that's the last we've seen of him.
From Londolozi posted by Talley Smith on September 16, 2011
Photos credits: Talley Smith Selatis Males  *This image is copyright of its original author The South Pride Males walk purposefully across the open plains of southern Londolozi. This was to be the start of a dramatic morning.  *This image is copyright of its original author One of the males walks away from a pan after having a quick drink in preparation for their hunt: they had spotted a herd of buffalo in the distance.  *This image is copyright of its original author Perhaps analyzing their tactics, the South Pride Males look at the buffalo herd. They would disappear into the thicket between them and the herd, spread out and crouched, while we waited for the outcome. *This image is copyright of its original author In a sudden burst movement, the South Pride pounce on an older buffalo who had dropped back from the herd.  *This image is copyright of its original author After a struggle, the buffalo collapses under the weight of the lions.  *This image is copyright of its original author Never animals to go down without a fight, the buffalo rolls over, kicking one of the lions. Another tries to pin down the head in order to suffocate it by covering its nose with his mouth.  *This image is copyright of its original author The buffalo gives everything it has to defend itself from the lions.  *This image is copyright of its original author It took about 35 heart-wrenching minutes for the buffalo to finally die, from the time the lions brought it to the ground. For the South Pride, the struggle was worth it: they fed for the following four days on the carcass.Video taken by a guest at Londolozi:
Credits to Darren Donovan and Christof Schoeman - Tintswalo Safari Lodge.
The Selati male was with some members of the Talamati pride.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
Credits to ULU LAPA.
Member of the Selati Male Coalition immediately after the fight with a Member of the Mapogo Coalition on the 16th - walking right by the Ulu Lapa vehicle!  *This image is copyright of its original author
]Photos and information by: Greg Coates
Dec 2011 Southern Pride Male Lions "As we left the lodge one morning drive we were surprised to see a young male lion perched on top of a termite mound just outside the lodge. We were not immediately sure of who he was but as we approached we discovered there were in fact a further three male lions behind the mound! It became evident then that it was the four young males from the Southern pride who, after last being seen here six months ago, have grown up a lot and are looking like real contenders for a territory. They still seemed wary of being in Mapogo territory but that did not stop them taking down an adult buffalo on our eastern border. They fed leisurely until the next day when distant roaring announced the imminent arrival of two of the Mapogo brothers. It is not certain how the Mapogo detected the presence of the younger males from up near the river but the young coalition was not going to stick around to find out. They abandoned the carcass and put a good few kilometres between themselves and the older males as quickly as possible. So while it was exciting to see the young coalition looking to investigate the west, it is evident that they are not confident enough yet to take on even just two of the Mapogo, never mind all three!"  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
Credits: Greg Coates
Sunday, May 27, 2012 The lodge has been so busy over the last few months that I literally have not had a chance to blog! The sightings have however remained amazing as always and here is a brief summary of the predator viewing since Feb. Probably the headline news is the four young Southern Pride males (now known as the Selati Males) taking over from the three old Mapogo’s. The Selati brothers had been exploring Mapogo territory for a few months but had always retreated at the sign of a confrontation. One night in March however the Selati Males came across the Mapogo’s on a buffalo kill in front of the lodge and split the older males up. Sataan was separated and the Selati males chased him for many kilometres before catching him and viciously attacking him (video). Sataan eventually died of his wounds and the two remaining Mapogo’s, Makhulu and Skoro, have been roaming nomadically to our east ever since.  *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 Selati Males moved on to claim the territory and seek out the Ximungwe and Ottawa prides, roaring their presence and killing buffalo along the way. They came close to catching the Ximungwe pride – but the lionesses fought back and have since been hiding their cubs on the extremities of the concession. The Ottawa pride was not so lucky though as the males successfully seeked them out and killed their four young cubs. With the cubs gone the females are back in season and all three females have spent the last week courting with the new 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 Here is a video from 2012 of the Young boys
From: Leopard hills Rangers Report September 2012
September 26, 2012 | Filed under: Rangers Reports  *This image is copyright of its original author Selati Coalition The darker maned Selati high up on the rocks, scouring his territory with a belly full of buffalo!   *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author A testing month for the young kings of the west! They also faced their first challenge as the Majingilane Coalition stole the Othawa females for 2 nights on their eastern boundary! The 2 coalitions roared at each other throughout the night but there was no battle, seemingly the Majingilane are stronger as they are older and in their prime but the Selati boys did stand their ground and the Majingi’s went straight back east the following day! On the flip side they shared their first buffalo kill with the Ximhungwe females after the strong lionesses brought down an old bull. See video for some nice interaction at the kill. For the first time since the takeover we actually have a pride! Ximhungwe pride Short tail female shortly after feeding on the old buffalo bull that 3 of these tough lionesses managed to subdue!  Lots of mating still going on with the Selati boys…not always too impressed with their performance, see the look on her face below!  *This image is copyright of its original author Othawa Pride Most likely all 3 are pregnant and we will probably see a first litter emerging quite soon 
About #127:
I just come to look at again the video showing the Selati males bringing down a big buffalo...  *This image is copyright of its original author
From Mala Mala http://blog.malamala.com/index.php/2012/01/lions-take-down-buffalo/malamala-selati-male-lion-stalking-buffalo/
The Selati males take down a buffalo DEC 2011  *This image is copyright of its original author Selati male lion stalking buffalo by Pieter van WykAfter finding the four young Selati males’ tracks in the southern parts of our reserve we followed them south, first towards the Sand River, and then through some thick bush. We eventually discovered the brothers resting together on a granite rock on the river’s northern bank. A little while later we noticed a large herd of buffalo approaching the river a little to the east of the lions. Having these two species in close proximity to one another always gets us excited! The Selati quartet had their heads up, and were looking east with interest. Pretty soon they were up and mobile, their sights set firmly on the herd. The buffalo had come down to the river to drink, but by the time the lions got close the majority of the herd had already quenched their thirst and were slowly moving north again. Completely unaware of the danger that lurked in the long reeds, a few stragglers remained at the water’s edge. It was eerie to only get brief glimpses of the four lions as they stalked through the dense reed bed. “Here we go, they’re running in!” we told guests as the lions commenced their hunt. Within seconds they had jumped on a buffalo cow, and with awe inspiring swiftness and efficiency, brought the animal down. The oldest of the group was tasked with applying the kiss of death, while the other three pinned the helpless bovine down. The rest of the herd didn’t make any real effort to rescue the cow. One bull made a half-hearted attempt, but after coming within inches of the action he quickly backed off again. The lions then spent the next two days feeding on their prize. They’re fast getting a reputation in these parts for being of the most efficient buffalo killers we’ve seen. Happy almost weekend folks, enjoy! This clip was shot in December last year, when hard work, persistence and some good tracking one Monday morning led us to an adrenaline filled sighting the following Thursday |
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