On a crisp early morning, we were excited by and drawn in by the sound of lions feasting on a carcass, leading us to an extraordinary encounter with the Ntsevu Lionesses. Four of these majestic lionesses were deeply engrossed in devouring a warthog, and we soon learned that a fifth lioness had departed, possibly to fetch the Ntsevu Cubs.
The chill in the air gave rise to a captivating spectacle as mist and steam billowed from the feasting scene. This mesmerizing phenomenon seemed to result from a combination of the warthog carcass’s residual warmth and the lions’ heavy exhalations as they dined with fervour.
Before long, tensions escalated, and a skirmish erupted among the lionesses as they vied for their fair share of the meal. The outcome was a torn carcass, with each lioness dashing off clutching a portion of their prized bounty. Just as things seemed to be settling down, the mother lioness returned, accompanied by the adorable cubs. They eagerly bounced from one lioness to another, energetically scavenging for remaining scraps.
The arrival of a Ndzhenga Male, seemingly attracted by the commotion, forced the lionesses to move on in various directions, each hopefully clutching their meagre portions. They were well aware that the male would not hesitate to claim whatever he could. The cubs engaged in a spirited tussle over the remnants dropped by a lioness, showcasing their remarkable feistiness even at such a tender age.
After the frenzy had subsided, two lionesses led the cubs through a series of clearings, passing our vehicle several times. We strategically placed a GoPro to capture a breathtaking scene of the entire group as they strolled past.
As the morning sun advanced, the lions eventually sought shade to rest, marking the end of an unforgettable encounter with these magnificent creatures.
Enjoy this Virtual Safari…
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Great video, Sean. It’s so good to see the Nstevu pride with all these cute little cubs walking so eagerly with their mothers. Fantastic that they are again on Londolozi’s area. I hope to see more of these cubs soon.
It is always amazing how they fight and growl at each other when they try to get their share and afterwards they are the best friends again.
Seeing these cubs is always a treat. They are such aggressive little things towards each other, but I guess they need to be in order to secure a decent enough meal each time.
Very exciting safari! Thanks for sharing, Sean.
Thank you so much, Ann. It was a great morning with these lions.
What happen to the missing two cubs? With the go-pro footage there were only seven cubs walking with the two lionesses.
They were probably following a little further behind or still looking for scraps. The other mothers were also left further behind so they could have all been together there.
What an epic video this morning Sean. Seeing the Ntevu females crunching away on the remains of the carcass, only to then display their greediness when another lioness came too close, was a window into their world. The cubs all seem to be the same age, perhaps a few weeks apart. I counted 7 but perhaps one of the females followed a different path and wasn’t visible with her cubs. I thoroughly enjoyed your filming expertise today, adding the go-pro for a more up and close and personal view of this pride. I laughed at your call out to the Ndzenga male, who seemingly was a bit too interested in the camera mounted in the bush – it worked!
Thank you so much, Denise. So the other cubs were probably left behind with the other females. Haha, thankfully he didn’t bite the gopro and run off with it.
What an amazing view.
Thank you so much, Sandra.
Hi Sean, I had a problem watching the video, kept on freezing so I went to Utube to watch it there. Fantastic to see these lions all together and fighting for each mouthful of food, even the little cubs are so fiesty. They all looked so good and well feed, the cubs are gorgeous and quite inquisitive. The male is huge and wanted to eat your Go Pro Camera.
The cubs are so feisty and entertaining to watch.
What did you do today? Yelled at a massive lion to not bite my camera! What a great day/video! Did I miss how old those cubs are? Adorable, even fighting over lunch!
Not something that you would expect to do every day. Thankfully he didn’t bite it and run off with it. The cubs are probably around 6 months or so.
This truly was a very intimate morning with this pride. Great footage— it really took us into feeling like we were next to them the entire time, getting a personal view of their lives and interactions. I really enjoyed the female going and retrieving the other Cubs and then the first female actually giving up her bit of a kill to the Cubs as well. I also found it quite humorous when you told the Ndzhenga male to stop chewing on the go Pro 🙂 he was really stunned because he’s not used to that sort of interaction from a human. Very funny! Every time I see one of these males in your posts, I can’t help visualizing the Ntsevu breakaway pride, with as formidable as they have become, confronting them one day in a Hollywood style standoff… “Our names are Inigo Montoya. You killed our father. Prepare to die…” Interesting times ahead!
It was a great morning with the lions and watching the interactions between them all. I was happy the Ndzhenga Male didn’t end up chewing on the GoPro.
I think the lion dynamics going forward are going to be very interesting. The Ntsevu Breakaway Males are growing into incredible young males and I think if they came across either of these Ndzhenga Males in the not-to-distant future there could be a very intense battle.
This is the same group that I saw there in July. It is special to see them grow and mature. Great video!
They are an awesome group of lions to see. I am glad you enjoyed this video.
Superb video, very entertaining and amusing but also very interesting! It’s not so common to have the privilege to observe lions of different ages developing, from infants to funny and sweet cubs to adolescents and then to formidable hunters and parents… it seems this time there is a solid future for several of them. Fingers crossed for the lonely Tsalala lady
It does seem that their future looks bright, but that all depends on how well the Ndzhenga Males can hold off any other rival males.
Beautiful video as always.
Thank you so much, Mary.
I take it the Lion speaks English!
Plus he knows what the latest Go Pro looks like!
Clever! Wonderful coverage – you are So lucky to be there.
Thank you so much, Louise. I guess he must understand english and he got a real close up look at the gopro.
That was truly amazing footage Sean. I also had problems watching it on full screen last week,but tried again today and it was fine.
Thank you so much, Suzanne. I am glad all is working fine now. I do know there has been a few issues on Vimeo’s end. Let’s hope all is fixed.
Simply an incredible video, thank you Sean.
Thank you so much, William.