The Mohawk male has not been seen at Londolozi for over a month.  In mid-june he moved through the property, limping along the paths and keeping a low profile.  He went west and reformed a coalition with the other Mapogos in the Western Sector.  The last time the Mapogos were seen together on Londolozi was on July 5.  The 5 males killed and ate a buffalo by Ximpalapala Koppies.

As it stands, it looks as though the remaining Mapogos seem content to hold territory in the western sector.  Could it be possible that they have temporarily ceded control of the eastern Sabi Sands to the new Majingilane coalition?  I would love to hear your thoughts on this angle of the story.

The Mohawk male has deserted the two independent lionesses of the Sparta pride with their 2 small cubs.  These Sparta females and cubs are presently moving around the central to eastern sector of Londolozi searching for some form of stability.

The Sparta pride remains in the central and southern areas of the Londolozi.  This pride does occasionally move west, however this is not where they spend the majority of their time.  The members comprise of 1 large male (Tsalala Young Male male 5-6 years), 1 lionesses and 7 sub-adults.

The recent arrival of 3 males from Toulon in the south has also stirred up the pride dynamics.  It has shifted the Sparta and Southern prides closer together in the central area of Londolozi.  These 3 males have not met with the new Majingilane coalition but they have put pressure on the Southern pride.

The Southern pride have partially split owing to pressure from the 3 males from the south.  The pride is occasionally seen together but more often than not they are split up into small fragments.  The overall pride still maintains 14 members.  1 dominant male, 3 sub-adult males, 9 lionesses with sub-adult cubs.

The Tsalala pride has moved into Ottowa/Ravenscourt territory.  The pride only lost 2 cubs during the mayhem in June/July.  There still remains 3 lionesses (including the tailless female) and 6 cubs.  A young male from the Tsalala pride was seen this last week moving through Marthly just north of the Sand River.  He was looking very thin and trying to hunt baby chicks.  He was last seen moving east towards the Manyelethi.  This is video footage of him filmed during that sighting.

Majingilane Male Lion Londolozi Game Reserve

This footage of two of the Majingilane males was filmed over the weekend.  They had killed a buffalo and calf by the Ximpalapala koppies.  This is as far west as they have let their territory expand.  Their territory is consistently from this western point down to the Sand river, all the way along into our eastern neighbours and more than likely into the Kruger National Park.  The territory presumably extends northwards towards the northern Sabi Sands border and through the Gowrie section.

These two males are not shy to move large distances as they were seen in the central area of Londolozi last week.  The Sparta pride had killed a buffalo near Dudley Camp, only to be robbed by the Southern pride.  Later on that day, the three Majingilane males arrived and cleaned up the rest of the carcass.

The third Majingilane male was last heard to be mating with one of the Styx females, north east of our Gowrie boundary.  The final Majingilane male is presumed to be roaming around searching for his three brothers.

In July, there were two different sightings of independent males, both called in as the Golf Course Male.  These sightings cannot be confirmed as being of this male.  As far as our rangers and trackers are aware the Golf Course Male has not been seen on Londolozi in over a month.  A lower jaw bone with teeth was found by one of the rangers on the Northern break.  It is unconfirmed which lion this is, although we think it could be one of the Styx pride young lions that was killed.  There was a large amount of male lion hair found by with the lower jaw bone.

The last month has seen a temporary calm settle over the lion dynamics in the Sabi Sands.  With the ever changing nature of the wilderness, things could shift once again shift overnight.  We would love to hear your thoughts, comments, feedback and any additions you might have  to this information.  Your contribution is much appreciated.

Thanks to the Londolozi Ranging Team for their input.