Two days ago (28 August) we found what we believe to be the remains of a male lion. Very little of the body remains: only a few fragments of bone, hair and the tell tale dark mane pieces, strewn about over a small area. The grass was flattened in the area suggesting that the animal had been fed on and the carcass finished off, more than likely by hyenas. A closer inspection of the area suggested that the death must have been a couple of weeks ago. There was indeed very little left and so although we can not be 100 % sure,it really does look that way!
Illustrated map of Londolozi by Simon Max Bannister. The red X marks the spot where we found the body of the lion.
Identifying the individual is impossible from the scare remains, but a little bit of ‘detective’ work gives us a good idea as to who it may be. The mighty two Mapogo Males were both seen alive and well a few days ago south of our boundary. This rules out it being one of them. A sighting of the Southern Pride together with the two Kruger Males over a month ago though does shed some light. Rangers reported that one of the males looked in a bad way. We had received reports of a big clash between the Kruger and Mapogo Males just a few days prior to this. On about the 20th July this male was seen again alone; this time in exceptionally poor condition. Where he lay motionless, was about 200 meters from where we found the lion remains! Since then, that Kruger Male, known by many as Limper, has not been seen by any of the lodges in the Sabi Sands. Tracker, Solly Mhlongo, aged the lion remains at 3-4 weeks old…winding back the clock and it all fits perfectly.
So we speculate that the remains we found belong to the missing and now assumed deceased Kruger Male. If it is him, he leaves behind him a single Kruger Male to rule over the large Southern Pride. The cause of his death is, and will probably remain, unknown. Again we can speculate that a run in with the Mapogo or Majingilane Coalitions may have been his downfall.
I welcome you to all comment on whether you think this may be the individual in question and the impacts this may have on not only the Southern Pride, but the entire Lion dynamics of the Sabi Sands.
So pencil in mid- late July 2012 as the possible date of passing for one of the stalwarts of the southern Sabi Sands…
The lame-hipped Kruger Male quenches his thirst. This photograph by ranger James Tyrrell was taken in mid July. If this is indeed the male whom we believe we have found the remains of, then this may be one of the last pictures of him alive.
I hope that I’m proven wrong!
Written by Adam Bannister
hey adam,
i have heard rumors of one of the knp males gone missing and i think you r right mak and pb r looking great,majingalane r al still alive and the selati boys still keeping there distance at this stage.i just hope the other knp male stays safe the mapogos might see a opening push him out and have a pride again, you can never tell with mak and pb the have witnessed it all.
thanks adam your work is amazing well done please get back to me what you think.
cheers and great work.
Very interesting. If it is him, I wonder how the pride will defend themselves against other males? Can the females band together and give him a hand-considering there are so many of them?? How big of a coalition would be needed to take on 7 or eight females?
Hi Adam
Thanks for the Update
It doesn’t look good does it
It would be interesting to see if the remaining Kruger Male can defend the Big Sothern Pride but at this stage I dont think any other Males is looking to move south.
Regards
Juan
Sad news indeed but one that we had been speculating about for a while. Thanks for shedding light on the lion body remains found. It does seem to fit perfectly. Interesting future for the southern ladies as the lone remaining KNP male has always been slightly more unwelcomed by the females (they preferred the limping one for mating and often rejected/attacked the other one but did still mate with him at times). Interesting times ahead…..
I wonder why they preferred the limping Kruger male and rejected the physically fit one!!What caused this male to have a limp?
What a terrible shame. Such a beautiful magnificent male lion. Nature takes no prisoners.
Are/was the knp males bigger then other Male lions in SS?
weak males have no place in the African Bush. It is sad though. RIP
Dear Adam,
Thanks for the update.
It could be the Mapogos as Makulu also has some bite marks on his back and flank. However, Pretty Boy Mapogo seems to have not a single (new) scratch. Strange is that the Mapogos were not seen around these dates when Kruger males were said to be in the south of Londolozi (as per Londolozi sightings). On the other side, on 17th July it mentions “2 Majingilane male lions off Dave’s/Tu-tones Extension / Kruger male lion at Vertical Dam”: are these 2 locations somewhere near ? Or almost in opposite corner of Londolozi ?
Also you mention “we got reports of a big clash” ! Can you shed some light on this mention ? Any more details available ?
Best regards,Patrik
Pretty well blog , Adam
The facts in my opinion are that was a meeting between 2 Mapgos and 2 KNP males. We had witnesses . It was a short fight and there were seen 2 Knp chasing 1 Mapogo , so the Mapogos split at one point . At that moment the 2 Knp seems not carring injuries . Since that moment we know the 2 Mapogos search for each other . Makulu has wounds most likely from his meeting with knp males .
If there was a meeting lately between Makulu and Limper , we only can speculate.
In my vision the Limper died after he encounter male/s lions . Could be Majingilanes or Makulu . We simply don’t have evidences .
But is very very unlikely to be other males involved except Majingilanes or Makulu .
From here everyone could have his own theory .
On the other hand , we don’t know for sure if Limper don’t have a little injury which could affect and infect lately . The description about Limper is “this time in exceptionally poor condition.” . I meant there were signs of battles with other lions to explain his condition , or an infection could lead to such status ?
Is something worth to think …just 3 month earlier Adam describe how 1 very powerful Sparta lioness died after she chase a leopard , it seems the wounds infected and she died and soon her 2 beautiful cubs .
I was pretty sure she will heal very well , her wounds were not serious , but things proved wrong
Yes, very sad news…but I have strong doubts it was Mak or PB that caused it.
Please read the pieces put together in order.
It was not Mak & PB according to the blog put out by James Tyrrell of Londolozi on July 24. You can see by the photos that Limper looked fine. (photos taken on July 14)
http://blog.londolozi.com/2012/07/a-sighting-of-the-south-pride/
The ‘fight’ with those 4 happened on July 10…then came the July 14 sighting of both KNP males looking fine July 14 but something had happened…(from the blog) ‘Blood on the nose of one of the males and a cut on a lionesses’ flank were the only clues ‘
On July 25
from Londolozi regarding sightings of Limper/KNP
I had asked James T on his blog…here is his reply.( so both were alive after July 14)
James reply:
James T July 25, 2012 at 13:34
‘The sighting took place on July 14th, but the Pride’s tracks and those of the Kruger males have been seen a number of times since then on or near our Southern Boundary.
I might go down there tomorrow morning to take a look….’
True but just remember Syl that when blog posts go out they are often slightly older than the actual event. busy demands on the ranging team means that some of the guys can only write and post stories a few days after the event. All very interesting
Yes Adam, but James came back into the replies to verify dates with me. That’s why I added his quotes & dates he referred to.
Hi Adam,
Thanks for the sad news, but I guess this is the law of the wild! If it was the male you are describing, then it is sad, because he is quite a handsome specimin. RIP BIG MAN!
See you on Saturday, I look forward to hearing more from you then.
Kind regards,
Ted.
We look forward to seeing you Ted. the bush is alive at the moment!
Limper was the dominant of the two males, so I think the other male will be easily forced out by other coalitions or simply rejected by the Pride as Linda said. Although I would love to see the Mapogos add to their legacy and claim yet another pride but I don’t think they still have it in them. Besides, it will be really hard taking over the southern pride with their “Tough” ladies. That leaves two other possible scenarios. One, the Toulon Males reclaiming their pride (wouldn’t that be nice!!) although they seem content with their current territory. Or, the time has come for Solo and the Eyrefield male.
Im all for the good old Tsalala Young Male (Solo) claiming his first pride! – Tsalala Pride genes spreading through the Sabi Sands – Adam
A takeover of the KNP prides…Southern & Charleston with mean nothing but bad news for the already in serious trouble Charleston pride.
I can’t help but look at the even bigger picture if there’s only one KNP male left…and what this could mean to the Charleston pride. We have the lone lioness & 2 sub male nephews left in that pride. The little sub female is assumed dead now for over 2 wks.
It will take what??? 4 yrs for the lone Charleston lioness to raise a ‘hopeful’ other female to help possibly get the pride back on it’s feet!! That’s a lot of IFS. We also would have to hope she herself stays healthy. We could see the end of the Charleston pride.
Well, I feel confident to state that the Mapogos have nothing to do with the demise of the limping KNP male. We have asked this question several times and it has been confirmed time and again: both KNP males were fit & healthy on the 14th of July, four days after they had chased around the 2 Mapogos and injured one of them, Makulu. As Syl is outlining, even after the 14th of July tracks of both KNP males have been seen in southern Londolozi.
Could an injured Makulu beat up the big KNP male with the limp? Very unlikely to say at least. Could Pretty Boy haven beaten him up? Well, Pretty Boy was searching for his comrade and he even avoided a confrontation with one of the Selati Males at one point. It could be, but is rather unlikely from my point of view. In general: to see a mature male lion being fatally injured in a one-on-one confrontation with another mature male lion is extremely rare.
If it were other lions who caused the death of the limping KNP male, it were probably the Majingilanes and surely more than one. It is very sad to lose this formidable male lion, based on the different reports probably the biggest male roaming in the Sabi Sands. Those who call this male “weak” have no idea what they are talking about
It will be interesting to see how this will change dyanmics in the south – the smaller Golf Course Male was able to hold on pretty long after his brother was badly injured. I hope the remaining KNP male can do the same.
Thanks for the comments Peter
Thanks Adam. Sad that yet another SS lion is gone.
Thanks for this info. I did not know about the blog until today by someone on Mapoga facebook. I will be looking back to this more often now that I am aware of it. It solves the question about Limper. I wish we could solve the question about the x pride’s young male too.
The male is/was handsome, what a shame.
Thank you for the updates on the KP male.. it will be an interesting time coming up, to see what happens to all the prides.. It is sad to loose such a wonderful lion.. But we have the future to look forward to..
his time was over but his legacy will continue.
So many opinions. Lions, lions, lions–doing their thing. Lucky for us.
Rooting for Solo to take pride. Saw him first with old tailless in May, 2008. About time he gets his own pride and passes on the tslala genes.
He has had an incredible life. A pride of his own (in the Sabi Sands) would be great
Hi Adam,
Thank you for the update & I’m sadden that we have lost a handsome Male….I’m a little confused on all the diffrent prides at Sabi Sands & Kruger but as I pay more attention to the posts & when I arrive in November I’m sure Iwill have a better understanding of all the diffrent prides.
Again Thank you.
Keep following Tammy and you will see the most incredible story unfold!
I was wondering when rangers reported seeing the Southern pride with both Kruger males a few days after the fight with the Mapogos and the limping male looked in a bad way what were his injuries? Also
on July 20th the limping male was found alone and in exceptionally poor condition did he have wounds, bites or anything that suggested a fight or did he look like he might have been injured by a buffalo or another large prey and had possible internal damage.
Im not sure Jason about the condition he was in. I did not see him at that stage but was told by fellow rangers that he was lying down and looking terrible…
I find the death of any animal so sad. Their constant struggle to survive is heartbreaking.
Lions are dying before I even know them. Does KNP have blog pages and rangers to inform us on wild life in Kruger? It saddens me to hear of such a great loss to the Southern pride. I wish I would have followed them more. Just recently read/learned that this pride is the most successful (the most pride members, the most cubs raised to adulthood, etc), and Limper could have been the largest male in the Sabi Sands area? 2 KNP males chasing out 3 Toulon males for a brand new takeover of the southern pride? The numbers game didn’t work for the Toulons? Then the tough lionesses of this pride are able to raise/protect Toulon cubs from the new KNP Kings? Lions. Incredible. Big Loss… if it’s Limper, R.I.P. Get some DNA sample from the mane and bones that remain. Compare it with the other living KNP brother that survives Limper.
Thanks for this sad but informative blog. He lived quite a life, even with the bad hip. He was an amazing cat and he will be missed. My guess would be that he was unable to fight an infection which finally took his life.
Could Solo and the remaining Eyerfield male have killed the limping Kruger male?
Sad news indeed…
Guys do you think that Solo and his buddy can possibly beat that strong a bigger KNP male?
Did Solo have the experience to hold such a fight like that?.
Best regards
A lion live is not easy. R.I.P. beautiful male.
sad news indeed about the death of limped KNP. Maybe it is decease killed the lion. Any way, thank you, Adam, thank you for the information updated, which shows me the true life of wild animal in africa.
im pretty sure limp knp died from infection cause by hes injury or a run into maji teritory
Hello Adam – I have photos of Limper and the female together on 13th July. Limper has a cut on his nose and blood further up the bridge of his nose. the female has cuts on her face and neck. We were with Sandros and Lucky – Limper was very stiff when he got up with a very defined limp but once he got going he seemed OK. Please let me know where I can send you the photos which may help you. Gorgeous lion and sad to hear of his demise. Thx Nicki
I read in KNP male Lions Facebook page
that a person will post photos of Mak and Limper fight,that took place on 8/18
after that fight Limper die few days after
He said that Mak fight for his life and He place such a good fight against limper
I can’t wait to see those photos
every one thinks mak is to old to hold his own ground but i think hes done exelent go mak and pb
I really have my doubts that it was the limping males remains that were found going by the picture taken in mid July where he is so healthy without a scratch or an injury.Anyway we will soon know if we dont sight him and see only the other KNP male.By the way does anyone know why he limps?Was it a birth defect or an injury?
Amazing Londolozi. Excelent guides and drivers
Thank you for fantastics days in Tree Camp Londolozi!!!!!