As we rounded the last corner, the unmistakable sight of a large pride of lions feeding on buffalo carcass greeted us. Nearby, however, was another smaller pride of lions. On closer inspection we discovered that it was one of the Sparta females and the three cubs lying off to the side of the kill, whilst a large portion of the Southern Pride sat feeding on the kill.
There were 9 Southern Pride lions feeding on the buffalo carcass (You will remember this pride bringing down another buffalo in Buffalo Thrills and Lion Kills), yet at this stage there was no sign of the second Sparta female. We sat watching the feeding for some time, with the lions scrapping amongst themselves for the best spot at the feast. Just 30 meters away, the three cubs sat, thin and whining in frustration at not being able to feed. The adult female kept calling for her sister, keeping a close eye on the cubs.
Then, quite unexpectedly, the four of them got up and walked to within ten meters of the feeding, the adult female still calling. We suddenly realized that the second Sparta female was sandwiched in between the 8 members of the Southern Pride, feeding as if one of them! The cubs, particularly the youngest of the three (whose mother was the one feeding) showed amazing courage (or desperation!) and kept trying to somehow sneak in and grab a morsel to eat, getting within meters of the kill before being chased off by the young males of the Southern Pride. As they started to confront the cubs however, the Sparta female who was feeding would hand out a few well placed blows to the lions closest to her in order to protect her cubs. On another occasion, she became engaged in a tussle with one of the young males at the carcass and her sister promptly ran in to her rescue.
After feeding for some time with the others, she simply sat up, walked over to her sister and cubs, greeted them, drank and they all then promptly lay down just a few meters away relaxing. Later on that day, rangers found the Southern Pride sleeping and the Sparta females and cubs taking a turn feeding on the carcass together!
Southern Pride Drinking
Such interactions amongst different, unrelated prides of lions are almost unheard of. And old saying though, is that animals don’t read the behavioral guides we write. After a while, you begin to expect the unexpected out here. When looking a little deeper, it was noted that the makeup of this portion of the Southern pride was 5 young males and 3 young females. None of the adult females were present. This seems to be the only logical explanation for the interaction. The Sparta females, although outnumbered, had age, size and experience on their side. The Southern Pride, although possessing strength in numbers, were unconfident without the older females there to help push home their advantage. In the end, the two groups met somewhere in the middle and an awkward truce ensued, where both sides managed to leave with full stomachs.
Written by: David Dampier
Filmed by: Dan Goodwin (Londolozi Guest) & Rich Laburn
![Ndzhenga Males Walking On Road (2) [rcb]](https://media.londolozi.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/14133815/Ndzhenga-Males-Walking-on-Road-2-RCB-280x178.jpg)
Great editing Rich, was an unbelievable sighting to witness!
Thanks David, full credit goes to you and Dan for capturing and writing about this sighting. The game viewing at Londolozi never fails to surprise me with regards to the different interactions between different species and between members of the same species.
Another great video Rich! Thanks for sharing. Although I saw the Majingilane lions and the Sparta pride during my stay, I missed lions on a kill. Gives me an excuse to visit again eh! Agree with you, the game viewing at Londolozi is a amazing! Great to sit with them and see animal behaviour and interactions in the wild.
Sheila
That’s a great pleasure Sheila. Glad that you got to see the Majingilanes and Sparta pride despite not seeing a kill. I always find it amazing how sometimes you will see three kills, or prides or leopards in a day and other times see nothing at all. As you say, it’s what gives you the excuse to keep coming back and experiencing something new. Thanks, as always, for your thoughts and comments.
Its such strange behavior ! I was with David when we saw the two prides close to each other with no animosity. Its so nice to see the cubs doing well. I spent a wonderful 2 hours with David and other guests watching them.
http://www.pbase.com/mytmoss/sparta_females_and_their_cubs_
Mike
Mike, Thanks for the link to the photos, there are some great pics of cubs playing in the gallery.. Did you see the lioness and cubs close to the rest of the Sparta Pride or close to the Southern Pride as in this video?
I did Rich, they were about 50 meters apart when I first came across the cubs. David and I were amazed they were so close to each other with no problems. They did both have a buffalo kill so we figured that that was part of the reason they were OK being that close. However they never got in direct contact like in the video even though they had visual of each other. Your sighting makes the whole thing even more amazing.
Mike
That’s incredible, I wonder if the size of a buffalo kill means that they are more willing to share between many? It is plausible, however in other cases a buffalo kill could mean food for many days amongst fewer lions….
I am also astounded at how relaxed the two Sparta females were at exposing their cubs to other prides of lions. It could have potentially been extremely fatal for them…
Those lions obviously have not read the manual on lion behavior. At this point its best not to show them. We can let them write their own set of instructions !
Mike
I agree it makes it all the more interesting for us to observe them…. I never did like the manual much anyway.. Rich
I spent a week at Londo in October. Graham was our Game ranger and Like our tracker. We had the most amazing time there. These guys could find everything and anything, with the drama, of tracking. Thanks so much for a great time. Sue
p.s love the sound tracks on this web site SO realistic….
Pleasure Sue, great to hear that you had an amazing time with Graham and Like, they make a brilliant ranger/tracker team. Were you able to witness this particular sighting?