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James Tyrrell

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James had hardly touched a camera when he came to Londolozi, but his writing skills that complemented his Honours degree in Zoology meant that he was quickly snapped up by the Londolozi blog team. An environment rich in photographers helped him develop the ...

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13 Comments

on What Has Happened to the Sparta Pride?

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It is quite sad that there is only 3 left of the Sparta pride. With the Tsalala they were my favourites

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Thanks James, I had actually completely forgotten about the Sparta pride, since we had our hands full with so many coalition and other prides’ news. Hopefully those Matshapiri males can provide them with some security/stability for a couple of years.

One question I’d ask though is why exactly did the young male from the Sparta split? I mean they would’ve had a decent coalition of three. Why leave and try to join the Mangheni?

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Thanks so much for the update James. Been hoping for an update on them!

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It is sad . Sadder still when so many safari tourists tend to root against lions & cheer for their prey or attacking herd of buffaloes

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Thanks James. Always interesting to read about the trials & tribulations of the lions of Londolozi.

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As always, looking at your blog brightens a dark and dreary day in the Loire Valley. Thank you

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It’s so sad to hear of the Sparta pride down to only 3 left. I was very fortunate to have spent a morning following them back in Sept. 2013 and to see all these beautiful little cubs running in every direction while the 4 Lionesses dutifully watched over them…it’s really heartbreaking to hear how everything has turned out for them. Do you know how the one Lioness died James?

Hi Jill,
We’re not entirely sure, but her condition had been deteriorating for sometime before she died, and a swelling on her flank suggested an internal growth or cyst of some sort, which may have been contributing towards her decline.
Her carcass was eventually discovered east of our boundary.
While she may have just drifted away, what will often happen is that other predators , often hyenas, will detect her weakness and move in to finish her off.
A sad passing, but the current members of the pride are in good condition. Let’s see what happens…

Member
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Hi James,
Thank you for the reply. Very sad ending for a great lioness. I am hoping the remainder of the pride will survive. Thank you for the update.

Member
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Interesting to hear that the Matimbas are moving in such a small area I guess they cant go west because of Majingis, east because of Matshapiris and north because of Birminghams. Have the Birminghams made any real forrays into Londolozi cause they have been very deep into MalaMala frequently and have the Matimbas and Matshapiris encountered each other yet?

The Birminghams have been seen once or twice in our northern reaches, but never as a full coalition. They have been steadily encroaching south so it seems that its only a matter of time…
As far as I know the Matshapiris and Matimbas have not encountered each other.

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Thanks for the pride updates. Can we get a more frequent coalition updates? You guys do a good job building the suspense of what’s going on, but then it’s months with no update. For example, what happened to the Styx males? the Fourways males? Did the head to other reserves, if so, that’s cool. Just curious. Are the Matshipiri’s only hunkered down with the sparta pride? Are they interacting with other prides? Any interactions between matimbas and matshipiris? Are Matimba’s strictly with Tsalalas? Even if there isn’t big news to tell, it would be great to just get little updates. Thanks!

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It looks like one of the Sparta females has given birth to two cubs as per the recent malamala update. But with the Birmingham closing in, it will be interesting. Those male lions seem brutal . Interesting. I wonder why the majingilanes have abandoned this pride-are they getting too old??

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