As the days start to shorten, the morning game drives have been taken up a level now that we are out just before sunrise. This gives us a greater chance of finding predators on the move in cooler weather. And that was exactly what happened.
Three of the Ndzhenga Males pause for a moment while on patrol.
We left early one recent morning in search of lions. Our guests had been with us for three nights and we had had a phenomenal few days of game viewing but were yet to see any adult male lions. The evening before, we had spent time with the two Ntsevu Lionesses and their four cubs who, incidentally are offspring of the removed Birmingham Male. All that was left to search for was the incoming Ndzhenga Males who have made south-eastern Londolozi their territory over the last few months.
The four males that make up the coalition are fairly easy to tell apart. Pictured here are the two strongest; one a lot larger than the other and with a darker main (left). The one in the background has an injury where he was gauged by a buffalo during a hunt. A small portion of the intestine is hanging out his side and the fourth male is also sporting an injury after a run-in with two nomadic young males he is distinguished by having a club front foot.
Shortly after setting out from camp, we got a call on the radio from Dan Hirschowitz who had just bumped into three male lions walking west onto Londolozi. We weren’t too far behind him and shortly after arrived at the scene to have them walking straight towards us, down the dirt road. It was the three Ndzhenga Males who had met up the night before and were now on an early morning territorial patrol. They were moving at a steady pace and seldom stopped other than to scent mark. With them still being so active, I was expecting them to call but they kept silent as if they didn’t want to be detected. We wondered what had brought them together the night before and what their mission was this morning. They marched on as we followed for nearly two hours…
We heard the calls of another male lion in the not-so-far distance. The males all lifted their heads and looked in that direction.
They eventually reached our airstrip where they strolled around for some time, giving us some amazing photographic opportunities. It was here that we got the call from Robbie Ball that were tracks of another male lion coming in our direction. Soon we heard a call from west of the airstrip that caused the three males to all simultaneously lift their heads and look in that direction. Had they come up here because of this foreign male?
Before settling down for a moment on the airstrip, they milled about using the vantage point to plan their next move.
It certainly caught their attention but they chose not to respond. They settled on the airstrip for a while and then stood up, led by the larger male, and set off in the opposite direction to where the other lion was calling from. Seemingly acceptant of his presence in that area.
With the lions elevated, we drove down beyond the airstrip and at a distance, had them in the open up against the sky. It was a cloudy and overcast morning which meant the background made for a great black and white photo opportunity.
The new direction of the three males took them down to the river, east of the camps and into the area where we had seen the two Ntsevu Lionesses and their four young ones the evening before. If any one of the three males were to stumble across this small pride, they would surely kill the cubs as they are not their progeny. The question everyone had in their minds was where were these four young lions as nobody had managed to find them yet that morning.
We all held our breaths as the three males missioned through the tamboti thickets and down to the southern banks of the Sand River. They reached the exact area we had seen the pride in and began to smell the earth they had laid on. They shuffled around here for a short while before slowly moving on and eventually crossing the river, having somehow not found these four lion cubs or their mothers.
Good morning,
i might have missed it from previous blogs, but does anyone know where the Ndzenges are branching from?
Hi Gawie. They have steadily been moving north into the Sabi Sands from the southern Kruger National Park. As far as I am aware they were born and raised around Skukuza rest camp and have been territorial in the southern Sabi Sands for the past couple of years.
sorry Ndzenga’s.
Chris. This seems a good post to ask several questions about “Brothers”. We learned this term with the Birmingham Males as well as now with these Ndzhenga Males. Are they all conceived from the same parents or rather born to the same pride? Are they born in the same year or perhaps a separation of litters makes for a longer age spread? You mentioned that the existing Ntseva Cubs are from the removed Birmingham Male. Do you know this from the ages of the cubs? Will adult male lions only tolerate brothers in a coalition or is it more of a Brotherhood? Understandably you may not have specific answers to my questions, but get the general drift of what constitutes the term Brothers!
Hi Camille. We use the term ‘brothers’ very loosely when it comes to male lion coalitions. It could be the case that the lions are indeed brothers from the same litter, born to the same mother but more often than not they will just lions that were born to the same pride around the same time, potentially being born to different mothers and even potentially born a few months apart. On the odd occasion, male lion coalitions will also adopt a completely unrelated lion to their coalition (as is the case with the one Ndzenga Male in fact).
We know that the four cubs belong to the Birmingham Male because of their age (the Ndzenga males have not been around here long enough to be their father. I hope this has answered your questions.
Great photos of these lions, Chris.What a relief that they didn’t find the cubs and their mothers, at least not that morning. I do hope that they will survive.
Hi Christa. The four cubs are still alive and doing very well as of this morning, which is great news.
The Ntsevu lionesses must be on the edge, knowing that such powerful and determined males are after them and their cubs. But the Tsalala female succeeded to raise her cub against all odds, so maybe there’s hope for them too
That is true, Francesca. While the odds may not be in their favour, it is more than possible for them to survive.
Phew, lucky escape for the 4 youngsters!
A lucky escape indeed!
Phew, that was a close call for the Ntsevu females with their cubs. It makes me wonder if the Ndhzenga males somehow know they exist in the area and want them gone! Have any of the Ntsevu females given birth to their cubs? That was an exciting drive for you and your guests to be able to follow them and view in open spaces. Thank you for the great photos!
CHRIS,,, Many Thanks for info on these beautiful creatures!! LIONS are Truly my Favorite! I am wondering where that last Tsalala Lioness is??? And What is going on with her!!! She should be at Adult age now and wondering Which of the Males she may hook up with to breed?? Is it possible she would try to join another group? What are possibilities of this PRECIOUS LIONESS???
So glad the 4 cubs were not found by the 3 Ndhzenga male lions. Hopefully they can be spared from these beautiful Ndhzenga male lions.
Hello do you know how old the ndhzenga males are heared one is older but do you know the age range ?
Thank you