Big week. And I’m going to start with Nkoveni because there’s a lot to unpack.
She’s lost one of her cubs. I’ll address that in the episode. But the remaining cub is alive and healthy, and this week our plan came together perfectly.
On the way across to another sighting, we stopped briefly at a termite mound where a female warthog and her youngsters were resting at the entrance to their burrow.
Then the Makhatini Males. Two brothers, a young waterbuck calf, and a mother who came back to try and save it. Reece had this one with some guests and managed to capture it for us. It’s not easy to watch, but I guess that is how the bush operates, and we are merely witnesses to it all.
And then yesterday afternoon, something I wasn’t quite expecting. The Styx Male mating with one of the Mhangeni Lionesses. A pride that’s been under the Nkumati Males. Four cubs, nearly a year old already, sired by them. And now this. So, a lot of questions. Not many answers yet.
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Londolozi's most viewed leopard and prolific mother. This gorgeous female has raised multiple cubs to independence.
The last surviving cub of a litter of three, he is on the cusp of independence.
Do we know if that specific Mangheni lioness is one of the mothers of the year-old cubs? It seems that it would be too soon for her to be mating again if so, unless it was simply a tactic to confuse paternity of those cubs. But surely he would know they were too old to be his? This storyline really has the potential to shake things up.
No so I believe she is not the mother of the four cubs. They were all born into one litter. I think this mating bout has no sway on how he would react if he came across those 4 cubs, he would certainly kill them. Unless he also mated with that female ahead of her having those cubs, unlikely, but not impossible.
Even though it is unfortunate that she’s lost one cub, given her age, having just one cub might be far more manageable for the Nkoveni Female. Having seen the two Makhotini male cheetahs when they were still with their mother and sister last year, great to see an update!
Hopefully, Nkoveni can focus on just the one cub and make sure she gets it over the line. It is going to be a challenge but we will see. We love seeing the cheetah around here so will try put out some content on them when ever we can.
Thanks Sean, especially loved the footage of Nkoveni’s cub…absolutely adorable!
I haven’t heard anything on the blog about Nhlanguleni for a long time – have I missed something?
Thanks so much, Suzanne. The Nhlanguleni Female had moved much further west onto our neighbours. I believe she was doing well but I haven’t heard anythign about her in a bit.
Hi Sean, this video is full of surprises, from the lovely little cub and the Shingi male acting as a part of the family, to the gorgeous Styx male mating (where is the Breakaway Female?) To the cheetah hunt. If they were different predators I’d have been totally on the waterbuck family (“frail” predators and frail antelope). But being cheetahs, in spite of their hunting high rate success, they’re often being robbed by other predators and scavengers, as well as waterbucks that find a refugee in the water…. the mother coming back to the rescue was simply touching. I was a bit surprised the way the cheetah turned so quickly and aggressively towards her. He likely learned how strong the maternal bond is… absolutely stunning video. Moving, and unique!
Thank you Francesca. A lot packed into one episode; you’re right. Shingi turning up and behaving almost like part of the furniture is a lovely thing to see. The Breakaway Female is around; she has been seen, so there’s nothing to worry about with her.
It was incredible to see the mother waterbuck come that close.
Wow, this was an exciting virtual safari this week! I knew that Nkoveni had lost one of her cubs, so hopefully she can place all of her energy and experience into raising this one as she did with Shingi. Has the cub been sexed yet? Watching this little one nestled into the fork of the tree trying to get comfortable by turning around, only to discover that the angle was not working, was a peek into a little cub’s life of learning.
The cheetah episode was interesting only because it is the second time I’ve seen a Waterbuck mom try to rescue it’s young by coming in close. A few years ago we saw the same scene when Naomi had taken down a Waterbuck calf, dragging it into the bushes, whilst the mother stood nearby barking. It was a sad moment for her, but Ntomi had a good meal for a couple of days.
The Styx male is certainly formidable with those beautiful amber eyes and gorgeous blond mane so no wonder the Mhagene female succumbed to his advances. I do wonder where his sidekick was, the Kambula female, and if she has fallen pregnant since they were seen mating. There is so much going on in the bush that it is difficult to keep track. Thanks Sean for the videos and commentary as well as to Reece and Kirsten.
Thank you Denise. That’s exactly the hope, all her energy and experience poured into this one, the way she did raising Shingi. On whether the cub’s been sexed, I think this cub is a young male, but am not one hundred per cent sure just yet.
That sounds like an intriguing sighting with Ntomi.
The Kambula Breakaway Female has been around and about so nothing to worry about.
Hi Sean. So good to see the Nkoveni and her one cub doing well. Cub feeding on the carcass and climbing up and down the tree is so worth watching. Pity she lost the other cub, but at least she can spend all her time on this one cub. Shame I felt sorry for the mother waterbuck losing her calf to the Cheetah brothers. Hard to watch, but that is what happens in the wild. Style male is a handsome male lion and I wonder what happend to the other female that was with him for so long. So he is mating with the one female from the Mhangeni pride, well we will have to wait and see what happens in the end.
Thank you Valmai. That cub feeding on the carcass and working out the tree is wonderful to watch, all that clumsy learning in real time. Losing the other is a pity, but at least all her focus can go into this one now. The waterbuck mother was hard to watch, and you’re spot on, that is simply how it goes out there. As for the Styx Male, he really is handsome. The Kambula Breakaway Female is around and about but I am sure she wouldn’t be tolerated around here by this other female.
Another exciting week for different cats at Londolozi.
So good to hear that at least one cub of the Nkoveni female survived and is obviously not in grave danger from its brother, or maybe not yet.
Watching a Cheetah hunt is often emotionally demanding, I think. We saw one 2 years ago and it was a bit similar. A young Kudu got caught by one cheetah and it’s mother returned, though some time later and only looked from a safe distance.
The happenings on the lions‘ side are always intriguing.
Thanks for the great video, Sean
Thank you Christa. It’s a relief to see the little one doing well, and you’re right to stay cautiously worded about it, the bush rarely lets you relax completely. Your cheetah and kudu sighting sounds like a hard but unforgettable one. That moment of a mother returning to look from a distance stays with you. And yes, the lion side of things is never short of a plot twist. Thanks for watching.