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Barry Bath

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Barry grew up in Johannesburg and knew from a young age that he had a true love for the African bush yet it was only after spending several years in the corporate world in Europe, followed by a two year sabbatical of traveling ...

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19 Comments

on Resilience and Hope: The Future of the Tsalala Pride

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Senior Digital Ranger

Why would male lions kill a lone female lion?

Absolutely Barry – as you say, having been lucky enough to see this pride over the years makes you invested in their future. Paws crossed for her!

Senior Digital Ranger

It would be wonderful if the Tsalala lioness had cubs and managed to raise some daughters to at least help her in her old age she’s been alone so long. I’m actually sad for her

Such wonderful news! I can’t wait to watch this story continue to unfold. She has been such a symbol of hope and resilience for many years.

The Tsalala female is my favorite lioness at Londolozi. I always enjoy getting good news about her.
So, it’s great to hear that she has in fact mated with the Skorro male. He also seems to be quite smart by evading encounters with other coalitions that could prove fatal. Maybe one day soon, she will have cubs. I am looking forward to seeing photos of them and their brave mum.

Senior Digital Ranger

Thank you for the update on this most beloved lioness. The photo of her resting peacefully with the Skorro male is so endearing. It speaks of her feeling safe enough to be off of her guard long enough to truly sleep. Something as a lone lioness I imagine she hasn’t experienced much. What a gorgeous pairing too!

Barry that will be the happiest day in my life to see that the Tsalala female is pregnant and once the cubs are born, that they are raised to adulthood. She is such a beautiful lioness and all the odds where against here.

Hi, Fanta news about the Tsalala female! The opening picture could be a finalist in a competition. The two beauties finally met up, like in a love story and it’s nature’s reality instead. They both bear a softer expression than the other lions, they nearly appear as they were smiling. Maybe they are more self-confident and less aggressive than, say, the Plain Camp males. This is such a great event. May the Skorro male and his Ntsevu friend team up with her ? Perhaps he doesn’t want to close both eyes on his possibile future offspring. Time will tell how the story unfolds…

Barry, here is wishing her good fortune.

Always rooting for the Tsalala female lioness!!! Long may she run!!

I’m hoping that Tsalala will become pregnant and raise her cubs as she was raised. I’ve followed this pride for several years and have been both surprised and impressed by their courage, tenacity and resilience. But first of all, she needs to mate successfully and with more than a single male, hopefully a Pride member for safety reasons. Since lions have such a strong social structure, and can count on support from their sisters generally, to help raise the cubs, Tsalala will need to do what her mother did as a lone female. This lioness has many fans who will be rooting for her to expand the Tsalala Pride and I’m one of them. I know you’ll keep us posted on any developments in the next few months, so fingers crossed.

Really hoping that she is able to raise a female cub (or more) like her mother and great-grandmother (the original tailless lioness) did on their own. Would be a most-welcome chapter in the Tsalala Pride’s history.

Stay strong. Thank you for the update.

My fingers and toes are crossed for this beautiful lioness- that she has cubs and can successfully protect and raise them, becoming a new matriarch!

Senior Digital Ranger

Thank you for this update of the Tsalala female I love hearing about her. I have everything crossed for her and any future cubs she may have. She is such a resilient girl.

I can’t wait to see Tsalala pride revived

Strange times, leopards demonstrating social behaviors and lions living alone…

The story of her and her mother and grandmother are all epic testimonies to the toughness, resilience and will to survive at all costs from 3 incredible lionesses that defied the odds for a long time. Life with a pride is hard for a lion. Life alone with no pride is far more difficult and dangerous. I hope she is able to have cubs with the protection of a male or coalition. Raising a litter to adulthood by herself would be very hard but she is an anomaly. Looking forward to more updates on this amazing lioness.

Senior Digital Ranger

Formidable lioness. Just like her mother… and great aunts.

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