Until recently, the Kambula Pride was renowned as one of the most powerful and influential prides in the Sabi Sands. However, the second half of 2025 has been turbulent, to say the least, with four of the original lionesses splitting into two separate groups and the fifth lioness moving into the Kruger National Park (KNP) alongside the eleven sub-adults.

What was once a ‘super pride’ has now become a pride at a crossroads, scattered across the reserve, each group with its own motives and responsibilities. Let’s take a closer look at the current dynamics within the pride, the influence of the dominant territorial males, and some of the challenges these lions face as they navigate an uncertain future.

Current Structure of the Pride:

Since July of this year, the Kambula Pride has found itself at a crossroads, with a clear split beginning to emerge. One of the lionesses has broken away and is now spending most of her time with a group of eleven sub-adults. There are seven young males and four young females. Tragically, one of the young males was recently killed during an encounter with the newly dominant Gijima Males.

The remaining four adult lionesses have stayed behind, focusing their energy on raising new cubs and continuing to mate independently. Two of these females have successfully raised the six cubs sired by the long-reigning Ndzenga coalition to 10 months old.

The other two were believed to be pregnant, most likely carrying the first litters fathered by the Gijima Males, who are rapidly asserting control over this central part of Londolozi. But the recent developments and finding one of their dens is incredibly exciting. Stay tuned for more on this in the near future.

To summarise, the pride is firmly fractured into three groups:

1. The Sub-adults and a single Lioness who have headed east into the KNP.
2. Two adult lionesses with 6 cubs that are around 10 months of age, found further north.
3. And one lioness with four tiny cubs and likely another still pregnant, looking for suitable denning areas along the banks of the Sand River in the southeast.

The Current Male Lion Influence:

On the coalition front, we have seen the Ndzhenga Males gradually relinquish their influence over the Kambula Pride as their movements shift further north and their focus turns toward siring cubs with the Nkuhuma Pride. Since the Gijima Males made their move and pushed as far north as the Londolozi Camps on the 15th August, we have only seen the Ndzhenga Males on Londolozi three times. 

This shift in dominance has allowed the Gijima Males to move in and claim this territory with very little resistance or confrontation.

This has coincided with the Sub-adults from the Kambula Pride reaching the age of independence, particularly the seven young males, and their next steps will have a major impact on the balance of power in the area. The pride’s recent split is, in part, a natural response to these pressures: too many mouths to feed within one pride, and an instinctive drive for the young males to break away and begin seeking out territories of their own. This would explain why they have moved east into the KNP.

Key challenges facing the Sub-adults:

The sheer number of sub-adults within the Kambula Pride has placed considerable strain on the pride’s ability to hunt and feed successfully. While the recent separation may help ease the pressure on food resources, it also brings the risk of long-term division within the pride.

The young male cohort now finds itself on the cusp of dispersal, which is a critical stage in a lion’s life. Whether these seven males choose to remain together or splinter into smaller groups will heavily influence their survival and eventual success. A coalition of seven would be a formidable force, though such large groups are notoriously difficult to sustain. As they begin to push beyond familiar boundaries and explore new corners of the Sabi Sands and beyond, they face a host of dangers, not least the threat of further conflict with the Gijima Males.

As for the young females in this breakaway group, their future is equally intriguing; they may well band together under the guidance of the lone lioness currently accompanying them, potentially forming the foundations of a new pride altogether.

Challenges facing the Other 4 Mothers:

With the Gijima Males now establishing dominance and the Ndzhenga Coalition moving out, the two lionesses raising six young cubs face an uncertain and potentially perilous period. A male takeover always brings a heightened risk for cubs, and competition from neighbouring prides only adds to the pressure.

By separating from the larger group, the adult lionesses have spared themselves the demands of hunting for so many mouths, but isolation comes at a cost. In this delicate balance between concealment and defence, the survival of the cubs may ultimately depend on how effectively these lionesses can remain unseen while still holding onto enough territory to keep their offspring safe. For now, this has worked in favour of the two lionesses; both mothers have managed to keep their young alive and thriving. Yet, with the Gijima Males now firmly asserting control over the territory, only time will tell whether these lionesses can continue to keep their cubs out of harm’s way.

The six young cubs of the Kambula pride have been stealing our hearts for a few months now. Healthy, cute and very playful, it’s easy to spend a while sitting with them while the mothers sleep nearby.

As for the two other lionesses, if all goes well, they could soon bring another wave of life into the pride, their cubs born under the protection of the powerful Gijima coalition. Such successful breeding would mark an important step toward rebuilding stability within the pride. However, the time that these two spend away from the other two mothers with the 6 offspring of the Ndzhenga Males only complicates matters and raises concerns as to whether these two groups will ever rejoin.

On a broader scale, these shifting dynamics speak to the natural rhythm of the Sabi Sands lion population. A fractured pride often leads to higher cub mortality in the short term, but it also creates space for smaller, more manageable prides to establish themselves across the landscape.