Recently, I had guests return to Londolozi who had visited in August last year. During that trip, we encountered the Gijima Males in the central parts of the reserve for the first time. Looking back now, it seems they have never truly left that area since that first sighting which was then the furthest north we had ever seen them.
Thinking back to the end of August last year, we had seen the Gijima Males further north than ever before. They had been roaring throughout the night and into the early hours of the morning so we set off to find them. The Ndhzenga Males shifted their focus to pursuing the Nkuhuma Pride—a pursuit that proved successful, with the pride now raising a new litter of cubs which was much further north of our reserve leaving the southern parts vacant with the Kambula Pride still trying to raise their offspring.
The Ndzhenga Male now the dominant males north of Londolozi and currently raising new litters with the Nkuhuma Pride.
The following morning we set out in search of what was then the territorial pride in the south and east: the Kambula Pride. Which had in recent times split into 2 parts. One lioness continuing to raise the sub adults, sired by the Ndhzenga males, annd another 4 lionesses often seen together- with two of them raising 6 cubs, born at the beginning of 2025.
My first sighting of four of the Kambula born to one of the Kambula females
After a long morning of tracking, we eventually found the two Kambula lionesses and their six cubs. It was no easy task, as the area was covered with lion tracks. The newly arrived Gijima Males were nearby, finishing off a zebra carcass that had most likely been stolen from the Styx and the Kambula Breakaway female who were close by and full bellied.
These two full bellied lions seemed to have been chased off of the zebra kill that the Gijima males were now feeding on.
The mystery of where those cubs had gone remained until Lucky eventually found them, settled under a white berry bush in one of the largest unroaded areas of the reserve and, remarkably, not far from the other lions.
My guests and I couldn’t help but reflect on the harsh reality these cubs were likely to face. Had the Gijima Males found them, they would almost certainly have killed the cubs in order to bring the females back into oestrus and sire cubs of their own. It seemed like an inevitable outcome, yet nature had other plans. Somehow, over the past year, these lionesses managed to avoid the Gijima Males altogether.
Fast forward to when my guests returned last month, and we were treated to an incredible sighting of those same two Kambula lionesses with all six of their “cubs”—now healthy subadults. Reflecting on how they had managed to survive for so long, despite the odds stacked against them, and being able to share that moment with the very same guests who had seen them as vulnerable cubs all those months ago, was something truly remarkable.
The young male manes are slowly beginning to grow as these youngsters are about a year and a half
The Gijima Males have now taken over what remains of the Kambula Pride and, it seems, the Ntsevu Pride as well.
Could be the start of a new chapter for the Ntsevu Pride.
Sadly, very recently, one of the Kambula subadults was unexpectedly killed by the Plains Camp Males—not by the Gijima Males, surprisingly. The Plains Camp coalition has become increasingly scarce in the northern reaches of our reserve over the past few months. Perhaps this shift has brought the Plains Camp Males and the Kambula female and 5 youngsters into greater overlap. Time will tell how these ever-changing lion dynamics continue to unfold, and, as always, they remain one of the most captivating stories to follow.
Hi LGR. That was such a interesting and good blog to read about the 2 Kambula lionesses that had a total of 6 cubs to feed and look after together last year, so thank you so much for putting it up for me to see and read. I don’t know if those 2 adult lionesses of the Kambula pride are twin sisters at all or not, but against all exceptions, they did incredibly well to raise all 6 of their cubs to over a year old jointly. I really thought they would make it well into independence and adulthood up until a good few weeks ago when the 2 large Plains Camp males discovered the 6 vulnerable youngsters all alone and managed to kill one of them. I don’t know which one of the 6 sub adults it was that they sadly killed, but I do hope it wasn’t one of the 3 litter mate sub adult brothers born in a litter of 4 to one of the now 2 non-lactating mothers, as I think they will make a very good and powerful formidable trio altogether. I don’t know if it was their only sister, or one of the 2 slightly younger cubs born to the other lioness in the small group.
With the four slightly older sub adults getting on for about nineteen months old by now and the other two at least a couple of months younger, I expect it won’t be until at least a couple of months or so after their second birthday that one or both of the two mothers will soon be ready to mate again, and have their next litters set for next year. They’re quite a highly successful duo when together.
I hope they’ll manage to get the five remaining sub adults to independence and adulthood without suffering anymore further casualties in their group. That is of course, if they don’t get discovered by the males that rule over their pride or any other male lion coalitions at all. I’m sure they depend on their mothers to protect them and be vigilant by watching out for any type of unwanted danger.
If any type of unwanted danger threatened them, I bet they’ll be ready to face it head on or swat it with their claws, but it depends on what the danger is first of all. But I do know that sub adults and cubs do rely on their mothers for protection and safety. The big pride males should be included as well, but their role is to mate and protect their territory. I’d like to know what gender the 8 brand new tiny cubs of the Kambula pride are, when you’re able to tell me and once you have had a good clear and close enough look at their rear ends on them. It might not seem important, but I’m just very interested to know what they all are. Once the five surviving sub adults from the original group of six have either been pushed out or allowed to stay with their mothers in the pride, I wonder if the two mothers will mate with the two Gajima males and join forces with the two other lactating mothers and their 8 cubs, and raise their own cubs along with them. What do you think of that? The Gajima and Plains Camp males would be totally ruthless in their pursuit to kill and eliminate the remaining vulnerable and last ever offspring of and sired by the 2 old Ndhzenga males before they were dethroned and deposed last year. But let’s hope the final Kambula offspring of and sired by the 2 Ndhzenga males, will all survive to hard independence and adulthood ever so very successfully. Regular updates on them as often as possible would be great, so that I know how they are all doing & faring over there please. Do you think the two other lactating mothers will accept and allow these two incredibly successful lionesses to join and stay with them there at all?
Hope to hear from you shortly.
Robert 8.8.26
Hi Kirst, so nice to read from you again! The Kambula lionesses rasing their cubs are an hymn to life. So glad to reading that they have been successful. I hope the same for the Tsalala female…. how beautiful the Styx and the Breakaway Female are… the Gjima males are superb and a force to be reckoned with, still I think the Ndzenga males have done an adamantine process of perpetuating their dna by protecting their pride as long as they could… superb videos!
It shows how clever the lionesses were in avoiding any contact with dangerous coalitions for the last year.
Let’s hope that the young adults can still grow and avoid those males in the future as well.
I have a photo very similar to yours of the 4 cubs born to the Kambula lioness, sired by the Ndhzengas, taken in late March 2025. I missed seeing them during this year’s visit, but understood that all six were still alive and thriving in the north. It is a shame that after a year and a half one has succumbed to an attack by a Plains Camp male, but it would have been devastating if the Gijimas had found them soon after both females gave birth. They were smart females to move their cubs beyond the northern border as soon as the little ones could make the trek in order to insure their safety.
I will hope that the five remaining sub-adults continue to thrive, reaching independence in several months, and that their mothers can possibly unite with their sisters once again – seems it all depends on how the lion dynamics will play out in the future. Thank you for the update Kirst!
Hi Kirst, thanks for the update on the lion dynamics on Londolozi ground. So pleased to hear that that the two lionessess stayed far away from the Gijima males to avoid them from killing the cubs. The cubs are beautiful know and have grown up so quickly. The Gijima males are a force to be reconed with.