We wrote a couple of days ago about the future of the Ntsevu pride; whether they’ll split up when the pride gets too big and in particular how the smallest cubs are faring.
It’s these latter three we want to focus on in particular today.
Timing, it seems, is everything. Out in the bush as well. And with lions, just like humans, you don’t get to choose your family. Survival for a cub has so much to do with things outside of their control, and for the three smallest Ntsevu cubs, things at the moment are on a knife-edge. Their timing of being born several months after a whole lot of older litters is suddenly seeming like a tough hand to get dealt.
Young cubs will often get left by their mother for a couple of days while she goes off hunting. The older they get, the longer she can afford to leave them. As they start getting into the few-months-old age bracket, they will spend more and more time with the pride until they start moving with them permanently.
Now, the Ntsevu pride are moving around quite a bit, but they don’t seem to be paying close attention to what is happening to the three youngest members. Multiple times over the last couple of months we find one or more of these cubs absent from the pride. Granted, they’ve managed to rejoin each time (or have the pride head back to fetch them), but they’re at an age now in which they are starting to wander about on their own, and this is where it gets dangerous.
I don’t know the decision making process that goes on inside a small lion’s head, but one of the golden rules of bush survival that humans get taught is “stay with the vehicle”. In other words, don’t wander off. The cubs don’t seem to be sticking to this.
Because the cubs are struggling to get their share of many kills (the pride has been killing lots of impalas, which doesn’t go far between 20 lions and two Birmingham males.), they have been in a fairly weakened state of late. I imagine a lot of the left-behind incidents stem from them staying behind at kill sites for longer than they shouldn’t trying to get as many scraps as possible, and when the pride moves off, they are still struggling for morsels. They should by rights be able to follow the scent-trail of the pride to find them, but this hasn’t always happened, and most of the lost-and-found periods end with tracks of a couple of the lionesses heading back to the last place they were with the cubs, and finding them nearby.
With the grass so long these days, it’s easy to imagine how a cub not staying focused on a scent trail or sticking right behind the rest of its pride could get lost.
The last 72 hours have seen the pride kill two adult zebras. Thankfully this has brought the cubs some breathing room and the last time we saw them they were full-bellied and looking in much better condition. I don’t want to make any predictions here as there are just too many variables at play, but I do know that the cubs aren’t yet out of the woods, not by a long shot.
In our previous Ntsevu post, we talked about the pride splitting in a few months when the adult lionesses come into oestrus once more.
A family split might be just the break the youngest litter needs…
Sometimes less is more!
Does the three cubs belong to one lioness? If they do does she know or realize they can’t keep up with the pride? Is it survival of the fittest or bigger cubs that is more important to the lionessess? Are they becoming a “burden” for the pride?
James, great blog today. The Birmingham Males aren’t getting their fare share of the kills, and the cubs aren’t getting their fare share of the kills? What will happen?
Frightening to think about! Nature can be cruel. I have to hope there is a split soon, so the 3 babies have a chance. Thanks for updating us periodically!
James, in times such as these the Londolozi Blog is a welcome daily respite. I know we all hope only the best for the little ones. Hopefully the forces at work will be kind to these three cubs. On the positive side the rains could not have come this year at a better time. Life appears abundant. Look forward to your stories each day
Fingers crossed for the 3young It will be fascinating to see how and if the pride separates. Keep us up to date and above all everyone at Londolozi stay safe. Victoria
What is the age difference between the youngest cubs and the litter up?
Is there such a thing as a “too big” pride for everyone to survive?
Thank goodness!!
This is so fascinating! New to all of this, so the real time observations are deeply engaging.
You also wonder if the Birmingham males are going to last through to the maturity of the cubs ?
Will be interesting to see the developments.
But James, don’t the males determine that they eat the youngest cubs with them first
Hi Ana,
Can you clarify that question a bit further? Are you asking if the males allow the youngest cubs to eat first?
Yes, that was the question. Because Discovery, NAT Geo and others always show how males eat first and with them cubs. And then the rest of the pack. In that case, the cubs should not starve. Or Birmingham males aren`t fathers? But then they`d kill them? Or….? Tnx
Hi Ana,
The reality is things are so variable. most of the time we simply see every lion for themselves, but yes, on occasion we have seen the males allow one or two of the smaller cubs to feed alongside them and no other lions, although there is usually a bit of growling and a few cuffs aimed at the cubs first to discourage them.
The Birmingham males are the fathers of these cubs.
I hope that the cubs survive.
If they continue killing larger prey like zebra and wildebeest they should be fine. Still not sure why a pride of this size doesn’t prey on buffalo or giraffe more regularly.
Well, there’s certainly no lack of drama on the lion front. I had thought lionesses, after giving birth, really took the time to make sure they were fed and safe, but reading between the lines, it seems now there are just too many cubs, and the youngest three seem to be on their own. We’ll all be waiting to see how this pride will carry on in the future-
Really holding thumbs for those 3 little cubs. If they survive this they will be stronger for it. Wendy M
What is the ending of the fourth of the youngest cubs, has it disappeared, why has it disappeared?
Hi Yanzhe,
We’re not actually sure. It might have gone exactly the way we fear for the current three; not enough nutrition, falls behind and something snapped it up…
Always look forward to the updates, hoping that the cubs reach maturity. Thanks so much for a great lockdown diversion. Stay safe and regards to all at Londolozi
I hope that they make it, it would be a shame to lose them, but I do understand how Mother Nature works.
James, will the winter months ahead make a difference to hunting patterns, availability of prey?
I think Mother Natures way is harsh and wildlife has to fight for that survival because nature has it’s way in make sure only the strongest survival and the offspring has to fight for the rights of survive because only the strong genes live to pass on those strong genes and animals that are weak die that’s why only a few make it and to live to be a adult they would have to have that strong will to live and the mothers are making them strong and tough and have to learn what it takes to be able to live in situations that they are going to have to step up to earn that right to be able to fight for its rights to be able to take on situations of the larger and older ones in the pride we all have seen cubs fighting back at their fathers at feeding sits , am I kind of right about this if you are able to understand my question
Inevitable there must be a split coming, how can they keep feeding so many-