About the Author

Kate Imrie

Head of Guide Training

Kate came to the bush with her husband Tom over a decade ago to escape the rat-race of the city, and found a life they never imagined existed. Having spent so much time guiding guests from all over the world in the incredible ...

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15 Comments

on Motherhood in the Wilderness

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Katie, it can be so difficult to transcribe our connection with these special animals, but you have done it beautifully. This piece is brilliant!

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Guest

This is so beautifully written!

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Guest

May I ditto Talley’s comments – beautifully written.
What an amazing lioness, so resilient, a true survivor, admirable.
“A simpler set of truths” are wise words indeed.
I am sure your guests come with an open mind, and I’m also sure that they leave equipped with a new life lesson and a fuller heart.
Enjoy your motherhood Kate …

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Guest

Very nice. Having just finished my research and booked my trip I am now a faithfull follower of this blog. While on vacation I had time to go back to 2009 in the archives. My cub (daughter) and I will see you Ausgust 2nd 2012. Patsy

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Being a mother of two ‘young adult’ females, I appreciate your insight. Being allowed the unique opportunity to share Londolozi with them, as a family, and watch so many mothers ‘mother’ their offspring…well, it’s very special. Every ONE has a set of circumstances, cards they are dealt, in life. It’s certainly lovely to share strong female role models, beyond the human world.

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I, too, feel the tailless lioness is a special lion. She is brave,wise, and takes her responsibilities as a mother very seriously. I first saw her after the hyena attack when her wound was very raw and sore looking. She was with her two immature males at that time(one of which I believe is called Solo and the other killed by the Mapogo pride). Two years later I observed her healed and with her two daughters and four of the Mapogo pride. I appreciate the blog so much in its ongoing saga of the lions and leopards of Londolozi.

Nancy Armitage

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Nancy, how revealing is that, to stay connected with the pride that killed your son? To forgive and forget, move on and make something more than what was before? Yes, humans have a lot to learn from these connections. Thank you for the history.

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Guest

Is there any way you all could put together a comprhensive family tree, of the lions/lioness and leopards to whom you refer. Our family have only just become acquainted to some of them this last June and it is difficult to follow for us, especially from the U.S. Just a time line…who begat whom if you will? And where the generations have scattered…

Hi Geri, the family tress of the lions can be quite tricky as often females will mate with more than one male and thus it is unclear who the actual father is. For an indication of the family lineages with regards to the leopards, please go and take a look at the Leopards of Londolozi website where you will be able to view some of the primary family lineages. As with lions, these animals can be somewhat of a moving target to keep accurate records of. http://www.londolozi.com/leopards/leopards-of-londolozi/

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Thanks Rich! I have been trying to trace the leopards through the website. I am very interested. As I am for the lions…harder to figure, but very interesting and I cheer for them all! I will follow as best I can, thanks!

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Guest

Do you know which of the leopard’s family tree the old female who was blind in one eye because of a spitting cobra belongs to? She has died since we saw her many years ago?

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Guest

Kate,
The tailess female was the first lion I saw in the wild in May, 2008. Unforgettable to this day was watching her come out of the bush into a clearing followed by a sub adult male and a cub. She approached the Rover and laid down and the two younger lions (for lack of better word) snuggled up to her. This proximity was astonishing to me at the time. The cub got restless and put on a show jumping on her, pushing her, licking her. She remained cool, calm and collected.
Her story has fascinated me and I was sorry she had moved out of the territory when we were in Londolozi this May. We had many sightings of her daughters and the first 4 of the Tsalala cubs.
I met your Emma and was charmed by her in 08. We hope to meet young Tom on our next visit.What fortunate children you have to be raised by you and Tom at Londolozi!
And, if anyone knows what happened to the two of her offspring we saw, I would love to have an update.

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Guest

Wonderful blog, I love BB, she’s an amazing lioness. To Gerri Potter, there are numerous Facebook pages for some of the lions and leopards of the Sabi Sands which have been put together by some that have connections with a lot of the reserves and rangers of the Sabi Sands, check out info for BB under Tsalala/Marthly Pride of Lions, here is a link for the notes page which has a lot of the info on it, just click on “view full notes” when this page comes up (assuming you are on Facebook that is, lol).

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Guest

oh heck, the link seems to have been taken out, I’ll try again. http://www.facebook.com/pages/TsalalaMarthly-Pride-of-Lions/126207022558?sk=notes

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