The fate of the remaining Tsalala lioness has been one of the biggest concerns on everybody’s minds since the legendary sisters, the Tailed and Tailess lionesses died in February and June of this year respectively. The legacy of the Tsalala pride rests squarely on the remaining female’s shoulders. Her three brothers, the Tsalala males, made a brief appearance on Londolozi a few months ago but have been continuing their nomadic lifestyle, dodging older and more dominant male lions as they go.
The lioness stares forward at two hyena sleeping in her path.
As a single lioness, the female has had to adapt to a solitary lifestyle, which could pose a challenge for an animal that has grown up as part of a pride. She is not used to having to make decisions by herself, particularly in terms of hunting where she would normally have relied heavily on the experience of the Tailess lioness. As a result, we have seen her walking almost the exact route in the heart of Londolozi where she once walked with the rest of her pride. Could she still be looking for the Tailess female? Or possibly for a potential mate? She has been heard calling on several nights opposite the Londolozi camps.
Walking through a clearing opposite the Londolozi camps on a route that she has been seen using several times.
I watched her stumble across two sleeping hyena while she was walking along the Sand River. She managed to get to within three metres of one of them before they noticed she was there and bolted. She searched the whole area, hoping for any scraps of meat that may have drawn the hyena to the area.
What we do know is that she has been looking hungry, and was walking around in broad daylight looking for any potential food or hunting opportunities . I saw her twice within a week where she was looking up trees for any old leopard kills and in thickets for any small prey to feed on, while walking through the middle of the day.
On this particular day, the lioness was looking for any potential prey or food. She was seen gazing up into trees, potentially hoping to find an old leopard kill that from which she could scavenge to satisfy her hunger. One can see the indent in her stomach where the belly meets the hind leg, a clear indication of her hunger.
This all changed this last week though.
She stares back toward the herd of wildebeest that was alarming at her as she catches her breath, having just suffocated a wildebeest cow.
What first appeared to be a cloud of dust at a distance, soon proved to be a herd of wildebeest staring at where one of their herd had just been ambushed by the lioness. She had been waiting in the middle of a bush on the edge of a waterhole that is frequently visited by herds of impala and wildebeest throughout the day. We could see where a branch from the bush had been ripped off and thrown into the clearing as the lioness had burst out into the herd, bringing down an adult cow as it approached the waterhole. We arrived as the wildebeest took its last breaths. While it is always tough to witness a situation like this, it was fantastic to see the lone lioness able to make a substantial kill like this, all alone.
A female leopard came darting through the bush to investigate what the commotion was and why the wildebeest were alarming. She didn’t hang around when she saw the lioness, and quickly ran into the thicket out of view. An exciting, unexpected encounter!
After having dragged the wildebeest under the cover of a nearby tree, she looked up to check that nothing else was around that could potentially threaten to steal the kill from her. By hiding the kill under the thicket, the view from above for vultures would be obscured. This would allow for her to feed for longer without interruption as vultures would quickly draw the attention of hyena, that could potentially group together and chase her off the kill.
The kill was made at noon on an overcast day. Luckily for the lioness, she was able to feed throughout the afternoon and into the night. The next morning, a few hyena were found in the area. From assessing the tracks at the scene, it appeared that a group of hyena came together overnight and chased her off the kill, finishing whatever was left. She has been since then looking healthy, still wondering large distances by herself, particularly in the northern parts of Londolozi.
Her mother and aunt were renowned for being prolific daytime hunters. If this last Tsalala lioness continues where they left off, the local herbivore population will have to be supremely wary around the clock.
It is actually sad that she is walking around alone. Wonderful that she caught the wildebeest cow. She did it once, hopefully she can do it again. She must be quite strong to kill a wildebeest on her own. It must be heart wrenching to hear her call, probably for her pride. I know we must not assign human emotions to the animals but what I have have obsereved with my domestic cats is that when one passed away the others looked for them and called.
Wishing her the very best. Glad for the kill, but it’s a daily challenge for food and a uphill battle. I feel sorry that she must face those challenges alone.
Good story, perhaps worth reminding ourselves that the most famous lion of all time Elsa was a single female who managed to find a pride willing to take her.
Pete, Thanks for the wonderful update! We are excited that she is alive and well! We remember, on our last visit, seeing her being taught by her mother to try to ambush a herd of Impala (unsuccessfully) and are happy to hear she is a successful hunter now!
This is great news. I was awaiting the eulogy to be written. A real survivor with hunting skills well learned. The legacy of the last remaining the Tsalala lioness continues. Thanks Pete
This is great news, although it is a worry she is alone. Any chance she will be accepted by another pride, her relatives?
Hi Deana,
It is rare for lions to accept others into their pride, however it has happened in the past, so one just never knows what may happen. Only time will tell!
Hooray! So happy to hear she is okay and managed to make a substantial kill. Hoping her future remains bright……
Thanks, Pete. One has to admire this Tsalala lioness. Do you think there is any chance she would be able to join up with any of the prides? Wendy M
Hi Wendy,
It is rare for unrelated lions to be accepted into another pride. So it seems unlikely. However who knows what will happen to the single lioness with her eight brothers, known as the Mungheni sub-adults, once the males disperse? We will see what happens in time.
I have goosebumps and can’t quit smiling! Thank you so much for this wonderful news. Be well young one.
Poor lioness. How old is she? Is it likely she will be stay in the area and be adopted by a local pride or would a lioness in her position be best of leaving the area in search of a new pride?
Hi Malavika,
She is 5 years old. See my above responses regarding the chances of her finding a pride.
Cheers,
Pete
Great news …lets hope she finds some male lions to help protect her.
Good news, Pete! I’m cheering for her!
Thank you very much for the new information. Iren
Great News! I hope she continues to do well and beats the odds. We may have a Tsalala Pride back in the future!!
Awww, sooo happy!
This is an awesome account of what is happening to a particular lioness. I hope she does well and maybe this is a beginning of a new pride. It’s hard not to root for the underdog. Thank you for the insight Mr. Thorpe! I can’t wait for more updates.
Very happy the Tsalala lioness made a kill. Hopefully she will find another pride