Over the past couple of months, we have had some incredible lion viewing and the resulting dynamics unfolding across Londolozi have been quite exciting. There are a number of young, up-and-coming males in the area, as well as a large portion of vacant territory for a pride to call home. Recently, over the course of a week, while exploring the stretches of the reserve, Tracker Terrence and I totalled 38 different individual lions. This is quite an impressive figure but as we look at the bigger picture, we estimate there to be closer to 50 different lions, inclusive of cubs and nomadic lions, that frequent Londolozi and that we could see.

A lioness from the Talamati Pride walks across our airstrip

These 50-odd lions are comprised of a number of different prides, male coalitions, nomadic males and breakaway prides of sub-adults. Just to mention before I attempt to give an update on the current dynamics, there is a constant ebb and flow of the lions and it seems as though everything is constantly changing so the information contained below is what we have deduced from our observations. This will be a two-part blog post, in which the first post will cover the lions that we’ve been seeing the most over the past month, and the next post will cover the rest. In order of the lions we see most often:

The Ndzhenga Males

Until recently, they were undisputedly the most powerful and dominant coalition. Now that their numbers have been reduced to two, despite retaining an incredibly powerful presence, other males are aware that their numbers have halved. It will only be a matter of time until other coalitions realise that they have the advantage and it becomes a numbers game. And although experience and age are vital in a battle for dominance, numbers could be equally as important if not more so.  However, so far they are holding strong over the Eastern and Central parts of Londolozi.

The smaller male of the two, has been sporting an injury to one of his front paws, after an altercation with the Black Dam Males a few weeks ago. Hopefully, for the sake of this coalition, this heals and he is able to recover fully.

The larger of the two males is an impressive lion who shows significant strength and prowess. Helping hold strong against any intruders or rivals.

With their cubs to protect, their priorities are clear. They spend the majority of their time with the Ntsevu Pride, within the heart of their territory. We have noticed that the Ndzhenga Males have not been patrolling their territory as actively as they used to prior to the arrival of their cubs. At least for now, this does appear to be a result of them having already secured their territory and established known boundaries with other males in the area – who wouldn’t attempt to challenge them.

The Ndzhenga Males fiercely defend an incredibly large area around their cubs from other lions, the biggest threat to their cubs. The mothers of the cubs have been shifting them around to keep them at a safe distance from any other lions that they are aware of.

The Ndzhenga Males seem to be content with the status of their cubs and their territory and find no need to engage in any unnecessary conflict that could otherwise impair their ability to fulfil their fatherly duties. Despite the smaller male sporting an injury to one of his front paws after an altercation late one night with the Black Dam Males, the two remaining Ndhzenga Males are in great shape and things look positive for them to hold on to their territory for the foreseeable future.

The Ntsevu Pride

As far as we are aware, there are currently 12 cubs within the Ntsevu Pride. All of which seem to be doing incredibly well and are growing very quickly. They are fast approaching the stage where they will no longer be needing milk from their mothers. The cubs have developed voracious little appetites, which are mostly satisfied by the success of their mothers almost daily. These lionesses are big and powerful and are fiercely protective over their territory and young.

To put it simply, aside from providing some of the best lion viewing on the reserve, the Ntsevu Pride have been going about their business without too much to report on. In a lion’s world, sometimes no news is good news. They are in a very comfortable position and rarely encounter any problematic situations with other lions. Although this will hinge on the ability of the two remaining Ndzenga Males’ to keep other males out of the area and the Ntsevu Pride and Ndzhenga Males are probably the most formidable combo for any threat. So things are looking very good at the moment for these lionesses and their cubs.

The pride at this point is made up of two portions, one consists of five adults and nine cubs born Jan/Feb 2023, the other consists of three adults and three cubs born Mar/Apr 2023. Of the eight adults we see, four are the original mothers born in 2013 and four are offspring of the Birmingham Males born in 2018. We are all interested in what this has in store with the pride, will the two units rejoin or will they remain separate and form two different prides?

The Black Dam Males

These two males are currently occupying the area to the north of the Ndzhenga Males, but have been seen on many occasions around central Marthly and crossing south through the Sand River to the west of where we are seeing the Ndzhenga Males. Although not yet dominant over a pride of females, they are staking their claim to the territory that was previously ruled by the Northern Avoca Males. Their main focus seems to be on securing the area of the Nkuhuma Pride.

South of the Sand River, for these males, is an area where keeping a low profile is the order of the day. At this stage, they are no match for veterans like the Ndzengas or Plains Camp Males and therefore treading lightly is the safe bet. On a couple of recent occasions, they have been lured South of the Sand River due to the presence of the Tsalala Female and the Talamati Pride who both frequent the area and were seen driving out the confident Skorro Young Male.

The Skorro Young Male

The Skorro Young Male is an impressive male lion. He is a beautiful beast, to say the least. He was sired by the Orpen Males, who were born of the Nkuhuma pride – during which time they were sired by the Matimba males. If you are familiar with the lions of this area, you’ll know that this means that the Skorro Young Male comes from a legendary bloodline. This is quite evident in his physical stature.

The Skorro Young Male crosses a sandy section of the Sand River

He is equally as confident as he is beautiful, and we have seen him roaring and scent-marking on a number of occasions. He does spend a lot of time overlapping with the outskirts of the Black Dam Males’ range. There certainly is territory available for him, but currently, no pride in the area aside from the potential of the Tsalala Female and also the Talamati Pride if they do decide to settle in this area.

Despite his confidence, he has been displaying a very calm temperament and avoiding conflict. I’m assuming that this might be an indication of the need to seek out another male with which to form a coalition. At this stage, there is a fair amount of competition for him, being wedged right in between the Black Dam Males, Ndzhenga Males and the Plains Camp Males. For now, he’s doing great and we’ll continue to keep an eye on his progress.

The Talamati Pride

The Talamati Pride currently have no territory to call their own. Excitingly, however, we have been seeing a lot of them lately around the area just to the South and West of our camps.

They continue to be one of the most successful hunters in the Sabi Sand region. The four young lionesses are almost five years of age now and have had the great benefit of being mentored incredibly well by the older female, the fifth lioness of this pride. Hunting big game successfully is a learned art, and these lionesses are masters at taking down fully grown zebra and wildebeest. They are rarely unsuccessful on a hunt.

The oldest lioness of the Talamati Pride. The pride’s success has earned her the crown of possibly being the oldest living lion in the Sabi Sand region.

The older lioness is seen on her own quite often now, and sometimes very far from the rest of the pride. She has passed on the baton to the younger four lionesses. One day she will no longer be around, but her spirit will live on through the Talamati Pride forever. We are so excited about the prospects of these females settling down on Londolozi.

In order for these lionesses to maintain stability going forward, they will need a male in the area. On this note, however, a couple of the females on separate occasions have been seen mating with the Skorro Young Male as well as the Ndzhenga Males. Although, the chances of cubs making it to adulthood without them settling in one area and having a dominant male to secure the area are usually quite slim.

As we mentioned earlier, the lion dynamics keep us all on our toes and constantly fascinated. Time will tell as to what will unfold in the future and who will rule the roost. We look forward to keeping you updated on what is to come with the lions mentioned in this post and stay tuned for Part II of the rest of the lions we see on Londolozi.