To all those who choose to celebrate Easter, the Londolozi Family sends you the warmest Easter wishes this weekend. Where you are all spoilt with an abundance of love and special family time.
For this Easter Virtual Safari, we celebrate the return of the remaining Ntsevu Cubs from the Birmingham Males’ rein. With the last Birmingham Male no longer dominant over the Ntsevu Pride, these cubs are now at huge risk with the Ndzhenga Males occupying the western parts of Londolozi. The mothers have seriously got their work cut out for them as they try and avoid any danger, whether it be in the form of any other lions or hyenas.
After leaving the cubs we join the mothers as they set off in search of the next meal to provide for the younguns. One female fixated on a wildebeest nearby nearly has us in front row seats to all the action. As it gets dark we make the call to leave them to the vices and head back to camp.
The following morning three of the Ndzhenga Males are found moving straight through the area where we left the mothers hunting and later then pass through within 50meters of where we left the cubs. We manage to get to the males as they are then walking along the Sand River, triggering memories of when the Ndzhenga Males first arrived.
Enjoy this Virtual Safari…
To view the YouTube link, click here.
Wonderful to see the cubs and lioness. Since there are only 3 cubs in the Virtual Safari, has the one which was seen alone not been reunited with the lionesses? Thanks for all you do!
It was great to see the cubs doing so well. No, the cub had still not been reunited, it was just the three cubs.
Sean my heart nearly skipped a beat when you said the Ndhzenga Males are heading straight there where the two lionessess where with the 3 cubs. But luckily they have moved and the Ndhzenga Males are moving more north. Really do hope the lionessess go and fetch the 4th cub and stay out of harms way with these male lions and off course the hyenas. Stunning footage of all the excitement, thank you so much.
It was a fairly nerve-racking morning. But luckily they all got away without any harm.
Very nice video. I especially enjoyed seeing the wildebeest. Beautiful animal.
Thank you so much, Paul. Wildebeest are great to see.
A big cat drive Sean. Did the lone Wildie become supper? Thanks for sharing.
It was indeed a big cat drive this week. Luckily the Wildebeest managed to get away and did not become dinner.
Thanks Sean for the Lion safari today. Firstly, the Ndhzenga males seem to have much darker manes than the Birmingham males had. Is this due to genetics? Also, there were 4 males – is the fourth still in SabiSabi? I believe they fathered the Southern Pride cubs…. A question related to the Ntsevu cubs. I know their father was most likely the Birmingham male, but how would the Ndhzenga males know the cubs were not theirs? Or, would they attack and kill any cubs in their new territory? They don’t seem to bother the SP cubs.
The manes of the Ndzhenga Males are looking impressive, and yes the colouration of the manes is influenced by genetics, in combination with their testosterone levels. The Higher the testosterone the darker the mane. The fourth male has been moving around between Londolozi, Mala Mala and Sabi Sabi.
If a male has mated with a female then he will be under the impression that the cubs are his. If new males move into an area, they know the cubs are not theirs and will likely kill them. After this, the females will then come back into heat allowing the new males to then mate with teh females and have cubs of their own.
Sean, thank you for the update on the lions. Fascinating to witness the dynamics in the wild and the fight for survival.
Thank you so much, William. It is always fascinating to watch the dynamics unfold out here and how each individual battles for their survival.
Do hope you all had a wonderful Easter and that the sun came out for you all to enjoy it! Great to see that some of the Ntsevu cubs are still doing well but I have to say, when the Ndzhenga males moved into the area they were last seen and followed the sand river, it seems like they were very interested in that rocky outcrop in the reeds and my heart was in my throat. I do so hope they will make it to adulthood and that the mothers will also manage. It seems an almost impossible task for them all 😕 Loved the slow motion footage of the lions passing yr landi Sean !! Seems the injured one is not managing that well to keep up with them…didn’t actually see the side of his injury but it sounds like it is not healing. Not surprised it looked awful when I last saw it !
We did have a great Easter thank you, I hope you did too. Thankfully the cubs are doing alright and staying out of harm’s way for now.
The Ndzhenga Male’s injury has got a little worse in the last few weeks, but his general condition hasn’t deteriorated, if anything he is looking better and bigger than when I last saw him.
Lovely video! Luckily the cubs are very relaxed and seem to have no thought on their mind. Their mums are great, they surely are experienced and alert, maybe the cubs will survive. Wildebeest are great animals, i wonder if somewhere there still are white-tailed ones? You spent a memorable time with those big male lions!
Thank you so much, Francesca. We are hoping that the cubs will survive, it is a long and difficult road ahead but the mothers are experienced and have done an amazing job so far.
The Black Wildebeest is the one with the white tail.
Is it unusual for the wildebeest to be solo like that?
Hi Anita, it is not unusual here. We often see lone males who occupy an area that they have selected based on the abundance/availability of food and water, in the hopes that these resources attract a herd of females to the area. The males that have chosen wisely then will often be in the company of the herds of females for a while before the females move on to the next patch.
Can anyone say how the talasasa lioness is doing,nothing g o her for a very long time. I hope she’s well it just wouldn’t be fair if something happened to her
I believe that she is doing well. We have not seen her here for a while but from what I have heard, she is doing well.
Thank you for another great vlog!
Another wonderful Virtual Safari—these videos really make my week as I wait patiently to go on another safari! I really loved the slo-mo of the lion walking by the vehicle, did you do that in camera or in post? I felt like I was right there in person! Thank you, Sean!
Thank you so much, Jill. I am so glad that I am able to bring a tiny bit of Londolozi to everyone’s home. I did the settings in-camera for most of the slow-motion footage and then use post-production to fine-tune.
Thank you, Sean!
It is my pleasure.
These young lions are so cute. It´s good that their mothers are so protective of them. I hope they will survive!
The cubs are so cute, we are all hoping they survive.