For those who have been meticulously keeping score, the news of the Tsalala Female’s recent activities should bring a significant degree of excitement. After all, the movements of a celebrated lioness like her are a point of fixation here at Londolozi, especially since she has been missing in action (M.I.A.) for a while. It is a relief to confirm she is doing very well, or let’s rather say relatively well.
Her recent absence was a result of a pregnancy following a mating bout with the Plains Camp Male Lions. She then gave birth to her second litter of cubs in late September on Singita, using the same familiar koppie of rocks that she had denned in previously. Like we have recently done with the Kambula Pride’s den, the area was zoned to give her some space and time. A week later, she moved the cubs to a new den site, but sadly, that was the last sighting that was had of them.
Losing a litter is a brutal reset for a lioness, and although we are unsure of what happened to them, it could explain her immediate and pressing need to secure a new alliance.
A Search for the Dominant Suitor
Soon after losing cubs, a mother will come into heat again and will set out in search of the dominant males to begin the mating process again. It was on Wednesday last week that we first saw her tracks and found her calling on eastern Londolozi, an area she hasn’t been seen in for a long time. I then joined her the following evening, Thursday the 20th, in Fluffies Clearing. Firstly, just to confirm that it was in fact her, but more importantly, to try and see if she still had sucklemarks. Stay tuned for the full story in the #299th episode of the Virtual Safari as well.
Sitting tall and resting in the shade on a warm morning, the Tsalala Female truly is a stunning lioness.
Although the cubs have not been seen, it doesn’t mean they are gone. Not able to get a good, clear view of her tummy, but my gut feeling was that it didn’t look like there were any fresh sucklemarks, indicating that her mission this far east was for one reason: she was looking for a mate. While we sat with her, she roared. Advertising to any male within earshot, lion roars are known to be heard from 5-8km away, that she was here and looking for a mate. As soon as she picked up the sound of other lions roaring to the west, she headed straight toward them. We heard her calling throughout the night.
The sunrise, her efforts had paid off. We found her right by the entrance to the Londolozi camps, accompanied by both Gijima Males. This is, to my knowledge, the first meeting between the Tsalala Female and the new dominant male lions of this area. Given the immense size of the Plains Camp Males (her previous mates) and now the colossal size of the Gijimas, it is becoming clear that the Tsalala Female has a type, and I don’t blame her. A reliable and admirable preference for the largest, most imposing specimens the Sabi Sand has to offer, great genetics to have your offspring carry forward.
Hopes for the Future
Our hopes now rest on this pairing being successful. If the Tsalala Female can conceive cubs fathered by the Gijima Males, it could see her spending far more time on Londolozi, possibly settling in the rocky outcrops of the north, a historically significant area for the Tsalala Pride.
Apart from the fact that this new coalition will produce some incredibly good-looking lions, a successful denning on Londolozi will allow us to follow this celebrated lioness’s story much more closely than we have been able to recently.
I’m delighted to hear about the tsalala lioness again, I was very worried. So sorry about her cubs, she needs friends. My heart goes out to her. She’s by far my most favorite lioness.
It is fantastic that she is back on Londolozi. Hopefully, she hangs around here.
Quite appropriate standing by the delivery sign. Hoping the stork will deliver a few hairy bundles.
Let’s hope that she is able to fall pregnant quickly and this time den on Londolozi.
Hi Sean, as soon as I noticed this title I had to read it! Who fathered the Tsalala lioness? I don’t remember at all. Her mum was a true heroine too. And as beautiful as she is. Well, the Plain Camp males, so far, for what I know (,I may be wrong on other fronts!) didn’t do a great job securing their dna to go on by safeguarding their prides. A task now concluded by the good fathers Ndzenga males, the Gijma males have a free wide range now. Dangerous competitors will come later, if they take care of their offspring it should be fine…. poor lioness, let’s hope this time it’s the good one!
Her father was one of the Birmingham Males. Her mother was a superhero and she is following in her mother’s footsteps. As it stands the Plains Camp Males have not done the best as fathers of her cubs. But then again we have to factor in that she is a lone lioness and the odds are stacked against her from the get go.
I was thinking of the Breakaway Female and how similar they look… that’s the Birmingham males dna print, such awesome lions and daughters! They’re definitely outstanding!
Thanks, Sean!
Thank you.
She’s a good looking female and certainly knows how to pick the best regards lions to mate with good on her I hope she has lovely litters and the gijima males will look after them too
She is stunning lioness and we are looking forward to seeing some of her cubs in the future.
Such wonderful news! Her resilience is truly inspiring. Thank you so much for keeping us aware of her extraordinary life.
It is fantastic news that she is back on Londolozi.
first of all I am so glad that the Tsalala lioness is still around and in good health. Though it’s extremely sad that she obviously lost her second litter of cubs as well.
Let’s hope that she will have more luck with cubs fathered by the Gijima males. It’s great that she mated with these two powerful males. On the other hand, returning to Londolozi also means that she will be in more danger from the lots of lion prides in the area.
Kippe my fingers crosse that one day there will be a new Tsalala pride and I might see the little ones.
We are hoping that she has better luck with this next litter of cubs. Yes, she is likely to bump into other prides of lions and it is not going to be easy but her mother managed to do it so we are hopeful.
Her Mother and Grandma were heck of lioness’ !!! That Pride was a Force to reckon with!!!!! Great History!!!
It really was a force to be reckoned with. We really hope that this female is able to get the pride to make a comeback.
Brilliant reportage Sean! I am beyond thrilled that she’s back on Londolozi and courting the formidable Gijima males! They seem to be in good position to be around for a while – and while the bush is unpredictable – they are a great bet! The Tsalala female is the best, and as you and other have well stated, her mom and grandmother were legendary heroines. I really hope she can take up with the Gijima gents and get a good litter going. What could be better than a new Tsalala pride reigning on Londolozi? Nothing!!!
Thank you so much, Paul. It looks like the Gijima Males will be around for a while. We are eagerly hoping that the Tsalala Pride makes a recovery.
Sorry, I meant to write: Keep my fingers crossed… not Kippe
And: The photos of her are fantastic!
Wonderful news indeed!! I have been so worried about her whereabouts and whether something awful had happened to her. She is the queen of all queens and always will be for me ❤️. After a lifetime of bad luck it’s surely time for her to shine now – her mother would be so proud
It is time for to shine now and we are hopeful that if she plays her cards right and mates with both the Plains Camp Males and Gijima Males her cubs will have a better chance.
Fingers crossed for her
We hope she has some better luck with this next litter.
I’m thrilled to see the Tsalala female again and hope that her mating with both the Plains Camp males and the Gijima male will insure the safety of any new cubs. She deserves a major turn in her luck!
I am sure she will be much better off this time having mated with both of these coalitions. If they can keep a good hold of their territories and fend off any other young nomadic lions then she has a greater chance.
I love reading positive stories about the Tsalala female – my favourite lioness. I pray that she’s successful in raising her next litter. She deserves so much good fortune. I truly hope the Gijima Males can help her gain it and soon. Her mother was a legend and has clearly taught her daughter so well. To this day, I still miss seeing videos of the two of them together.
I am glad I was able to share a positive story for you this time. Lets hope she has better luck this time.
This is such a bittersweet post Sean, as it’s tragic she has lost another litter (PC males are not responsible fathers in my opinion), but on the positive side, she looks great and I am thrilled she’s back where she belongs. It is smart of her to mate with the Gijimas as they have been successful in siring many cubs in the past couple of years, and they seem to keep an eye on their prides. As I see it, the only downside is that since she is a single lioness, it will be more difficult for her to raise cubs given the other prides in the area, but we know her mother was successful against all odds, and Tsalala is definitely her mother’s daughter. I loved the image of her and the Gijima male next to the Delivery sign, hopefully a sign that she will birth cubs early next year. Your photos of her really capture her beauty and now that she has mated with the Gijimas, I can only imagine how cute her cubs would be. My fingers are crossed for her and just maybe, I will be fortunate enough to see her and cubs in April.
We are thrilled she is back on Londolozi and hope she stays around here. It is going to be a challenge for her to raise the cubs by herself in such a competitive lion environment, but her mother managed to so I am hoping she will be able to as well.
I nearly sprayed my tea all over my keyboard when I read “…the Tsalala Female has a type”, I was laughing so much. You go, girl!
Haha, I am glad you saw the humour in that.
Hi Sean, I am so excited to hear the Tsalala female is well and alive. I can’t believe her cubs are no more with her. What happened to those tiny cubs? So now she has been seen with the huge Gijima males and maybe that’s a good thing. If she fall pregnant with the Gijima males cubs I think she will be better off, staying on Londolozi. I am sure the Gijima males will look after her and the cubs seeing that they are the father of the cubs. She stays my almost favorite lioness and she is absolutely beautiful.
We are not sure what happened to the cubs. They were seen being moved to a new den then not again after that. It was tricky because they had zoned the area to give her a better chance and so no body knows what happened.
Thank you for the update on this gorgeous girl. I have been wondering about her and hoping that she may have had another litter. It is very sad news if she has lost another litter, fingers crossed, she succeeds in mating and raises a litter soon.
It was sad that she lost another litter of cubs but hopefully she has better success with her next litter.
WoW, Sean!!!!!!! So sad no cubs BUT…… SO HAPPY TO SEE HER!!!!!!!!!!!! She is My Favorite because I have followed THE TSALALA PRIDE since 2011!! So of course I am a Fan!! I am Very Happy she is there now tho!!! THANK YOU for your update!!!! Such GOOD- GOOD NEWS and I am falling for those Gorgeous Gijima Lions!!! Love listening and watching you!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN!!!! See You Soon!!!!!!
Thank you so much, Suzanne. The Tsalala Pride has stolen many hearts and everyone is so invested in the story. I am just glad to be able to share this all with you.
Amazing news… my heart jumped when I read the title. Our whole family is pulling for her and sees her as a North Star of lionesses…. Go girl!! Hope to see the Tsalala pride back in strength…
We hope she is able to raise some cubs and help her bolster the numbers in the pride.
Sean, Thanks for the exciting news! It would be so great to see her successfully bring new cubs to Londolozi! We will look forward to hearing more soon!
We will be sure to keep you in the loop as and when things develop with her.
Sad that she may have lost her second litter, but if the Gijima males are going to be sticking around and fiercely protecting their prides, then perhaps this is good news for her future.
It is sad that she lost her last litter but with her now mating with both the Gijima Males and Plains Camp Males, we hope that her next letter will fare better.