December 2001

1 Adult Female * 8 years 10 months
3 Lionesses * 5 years 4 months
3 Cubs * 6 months
2 Cubs * 4 months

Location: EASTERN TOULON

There were no encounters with the Charleston Pride this month, this mostly due to a strong-flowing Sand River which limited access to the areas which these lions have been patrolling over the last half-year or so. Interestingly, there was an encounter with the coalition of male lions which are thought to be the fathers of the current Charleston Pride cubs, and this was further west than they have so far been recorded. In fact, if anything, it was just within the eastern extremes of the territory patrolled by the Golf Course Males. Should this other coalition of male lions get to control this western area, it would effectively allow the Charleston Pride to use it with greater confidence and this in turn would almost certainly allow better viewing of this family.

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November 2001

1 Adult Female * 8 years 9 months
3 Lionesses * 5 years 3 month
3 Cubs * 5 months
2 Cubs * 3 months

Location: EASTERN TOULON

Members of the Charleston Pride were seen mostly in the general area of eastern Toulon adjacent to the Sand River, the area in which they have probably hidden their cubs. There were no sightings this month of all four lionesses together and the exact number of cubs which they have still remains unclear; this information will probably only emerge when the youngsters start including meat as a major portion of their diet and are frequently taken to kills. Given the different ages of the various litters and the variation of food requirements which this brings about, the temporary separation of the lionesses of the Charleston Pride is not unexpected Hopefully the fast-flowing Sand River - this caused by heavy rains in mid-November - has not caused any loss of life amongst any of the cubs which may have been hidden in the reedbeds.

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October 2001

1 Adult Female * 8 years 8 months
3 Lionesses * 5 years 2 month
3 Cubs * 4 months
2 Cubs * 2 months

Location: CENTRAL AND EASTERN TOULON

The lionesses of the Charleston Pride seemed to spend most of the month in and around the lower reaches of the Sand River where their cubs have been hidden. Good news too was that at least one of the younger lionesses has also given birth and two cubs were seen at a distance. The three oldest cubs are almost certainly at a meat-eating stage. At one sighting the oldest female, which is the mother of the cubs, was seen leading them through the reeds of the Sand River in a westerly direction, apparently towards some or other kill. Several days later the remains of an adult male kudu were found not far from the area. So things seem to be going right for this family which has suffered in the past few years. The male lions which are no doubt the fathers of the cubs are settling down well to the presence of landrovers and seem to be a dedicated pair and are more often than not with the pride. Until all cubs of the family reach the same meat-eating position, it can be expected that the females will act somewhat independently, each mother of course having to cater for different needs. When meat becomes the principle food, however, it could be expected that all females will spend more time together.

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September 2001

1 Adult Female * 8 years 7 months
3 Lionesses * 5 years 1 month
3 Cubs * 3 months

Location: CENTRAL AND EASTERN TOULON/ SOUTH EASTERN CHARLESTON

Members of the Charleston Pride were seen a dozen times this month, mostly in fragmented units. Towards the end of the month the young cubs of the oldest female were seen for the first time. These youngsters spent their first three months hidden in the reedbeds of the Sand River near Kirkmans Camp. The lioness has now moved them further east, confirming suspicions that the Golf Course Males are not the fathers and that the Charleston Pride wants to get them as far from these males as possible. The very last sighting of the Charleston Pride for this game-report period was of all four lionesses and the three cubs together, the first single encounter of all females in many months.

But the greatest sighting involving the three youngest lionesses of the Charleston Pride took place at the beginning of this report period when they, a herd of elephants and the small herd of buffalo came together along the banks of the Sand River. The event started off when the three youngest lionesses of the Charleston Pride were found eyeing out the small herd of buffalo which were grazing contentedly along the banks of the Sand River. Although the three lionesses were quite well fed, they appeared eager to add a buffalo to their stomachs and two of them started creeping towards the large creatures, no doubt targeting some of the calves amongst the 25-strong herd. Their plans were then somewhat interrupted when a lone buffalo bull crossed the narrow channel of the river and headed directly towards them. Although alone, a single mature buffalo bull would be difficult to kill and the lions appeared somewhat thrown by this turn of events. Nonetheless, they soon ignored the lone bull and returned their concentrations towards the rest of the herd which was moving slowly past them, but on the opposite bank of the river. As this was happening, many elephants were slowly approaching the sighting, including one herd of approximately 15 or 20 animals. Although the elephants appeared oblivious of what was happening ahead of them, the lions were not and once more became uneasy. Lions and elephants do not mix well and the cats invariably give way to the bigger animals. At one stage the buffalo, lions and elephants were less than 100 meters from each other and it appeared as if the lions were going to sneak off and let the elephants pass. Then fate took a hand. One of the young and more disagreeable of the elephants startled an adult male bushbuck in the reedbeds and chased it, trumpeting furiously. The antelope was forced to move in the direction of the lions and when one of the lionesses spotted it, forgot about the buffalo and elephants and sprinted after it, catching it in the thick reeds. Unfortunately for the lions, this all took place within fifty meters of the elephants and the whole herd went screaming in after them, and in seconds the lions scattered, leaving the bushbuck lying in the reeds. As the lionesses watched from a distance, the elephants trumpeted and shrieked and crashed about in the reeds around the spot where the bushbuck had been brought down. Then, when all appeared to be calming down and the elephants were moved off a few meters, a mortally wounded bushbuck staggered to its feet and went tottering off. One of the lionesses noticed this, slipped around the elephants and easily caught the bushbuck again. The other two lionesses were positioned some way off, but also saw their companion go running in. Wanting their share of the meal, they of course followed. Unfortunately they did not see the exact position of where the bushbuck had been caught for the second time and went running past, the third lioness crouching low as they did and making no effort to call them to the food - typical mercenary lion behaviour. But the bushbuck was not yet dead and it bleated, so attracting the two lionesses which had bypassed the area. All three lions then grabbed their prey and rushed underneath a debris-covered bush and vanished from view. But this new flurry of cat activity again attracted the elephants and they came charging back and the three lions erupted from their cover, again abandoning the bushbuck which was still not dead. This time the elephants went berserk and the target of their aggression was the unfortunate antelope. The elephants kicked it and slapped it with their trunks and one of the adult females actually kicked it under her feet towards the other elephants bunched up behind her. The screaming and trumpeting soon reverted to more pacifying rumbles and the elephants calmed down somewhat. Although the bushbuck was now no longer the centre of their attentions, the elephants remained in the area, apparently scouting for the lions which were again watching their food-to-be from a safe distance. Then, incredibly, the bushbuck again staggered to its feet and tottered towards the shallow watercourse of the Sand River and made its way to the other bank. Since the elephants were still in their path and the antelope was as good as dead and not going to escape, the lions made no move towards it. As a comical afterthought, the lone male buffalo which had been in the area just before all of this happened, appeared back on the scene and made his way towards the still bunched up elephants. As he closed in, the elephants chased him off and he left to join the rest of the herd which were some ways south and moving away, glad that they were no the centre of attention. Things then calmed down somewhat and as soon as the elephants were thirty or so meters from the reeds, the lions slunk down, crossed the river, found the bushbuck and were soon feeding. Interestingly other elephant herds in the area did not come in to assist, this in spite of the huge commotion. These distant herds were certainly jumpy and aggressive towards vehicles, but failed to come to the assistance of this other herd.

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August 2001

1 ADULT FEMALE * 8 years 6 months
3 Lionesses * 5 years

Location: CENTRAL AND EASTERN TOULON/ SOUTH EASTERN CHARLESTON

The cubs of the oldest lioness of the Charleston Pride have yet to be seen and she still appears to be keeping them in the reedbeds of the Sand River close to Kirkmans Camp. Surprisingly, the three young lionesses, her nieces, have stayed well away from this area, preferring to work far east of this. Goodness knows why the cubs are not moved. Anyway, they seem happy with the arrangement and the lactating lioness was frequently seen making the journey to feed her babies. It is quite likely that the younger lionesses are fearful of the Golf Course Males. Early on in this game report period, two of the lionesses were found on the carcass of an adult zebra in the Chellahanga River. In typical lion mercenary behaviour, they set about eating it all by themselves. However, on the second morning, it was discovered that one of the Golf Course Males had moved in and appropriated the still substantial remains. When he was found, this lone Golf Course Male was already heading back west towards the others, scent-marking heavily. Just why he decided to venture so far from his territory is a mystery, but what he would have done is to instil fear and respect amongst the Charleston Pride lionesses. Perhaps this is why they chose to spend the month so far to the east of the Golf Course Males. However, what remains unresolved is just which males fathered the cubs of the lone Charleston lioness. There were no sightings this month of the two male lions seen with the Charleston Pride in July and perhaps the single incursion by the lone Golf Course Male was a hint that he and the other members of the coalition are eyeing them out for conquest once the Selati Pride youngsters are settled.

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July 2001

1 ADULT FEMALE * 8 years 5 months
3 Lionesses * 4 years 11 months

Location: EASTERN TOULON

There were only three sightings of the Charleston Pride this month, but one of them found them sharing the carcass of an adult male kudu with two young but adult male lions. The killing of kudu amongst the thick riverine bush of the Sand River, often during the daylight hours, has long been a recognised hunting tactic of the Charleston Pride and so this side of things came as no surprise. However, just which male lions were sharing it with them, was not known, but, judging from their reaction to vehicles, they were clearly not accustomed to them and must surely have been 'new' from the nearby and adjacent Kruger National Park. The intriguing question, however, is whether these males are the fathers of the cubs which the oldest lioness of the Charleston Pride is known to have given birth to and secreted in the reed beds of the Sand River, or are these lions opportunistic and taking advantage of the apparent lack of attention given to this area and the Charleston Pride by the three Golf Course Males? This latter trio of male lions is known to have made contact with the Charleston Pride in the recent past and it has been though that they would have fathered the cubs. However, subsequent to this, they really have not been seen patrolling the areas known to be frequented by the Charleston Pride and this would of course have opened up an opportunity for other males to make their way in. And if this is indeed so and the Golf Course Males do not respond accordingly, then the cubs face death as these 'new' males would seek to kill them. Hopefully viewing over the next month will clarify these social details.

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June 2001

1 ADULT FEMALE * 8 years 4 months
3 Lionesses * 4 years 10 months

Location: CENTRAL-WEST TOULON/ SW CHARLESTON (north of the Sand River)

There were only three confirmed sightings of the Charleston Pride this month, all quite close to Kirkmans Camp. The oldest lioness is definitely lactating and it is thought that the litter is hidden somewhere in the extensive reedbeds of the Sand River on Northern Toulon. With youngsters of this age around, the pride would not go far from this 'lair-site' to hunt. In spite of the forced localisation of the lions, they have indeed been behaving secretively, although this may also be a consequence of the patterns of movement of the prey animals. With biting cold evenings and mornings, it is not surprising for prey animals to stay deep in the bushes, particularly towards the hilltops where it would be warmer. This would cause the predators to follow and would thus make encounters close to the roads less frequent. One sighting of all four lionesses was close to the Msuthu River on SW Toulon, an area familiar to the Charleston Pride but now thought to be controlled by the Selati Pride. However, with the Golf Course Males almost certainly the fathers of the cubs and also not really showing much enthusiasm to cross the Sand River, it may well be up to the Charleston Pride to stay close to the males and this will at least to some degree dictate their movements.

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May 2001

1 ADULT FEMALE * 8 years 3 months
3 Lionesses * 4 years9 months

Location: CENTRAL-WEST TOULON (south of the Sand River)

There were only three sightings of the lionesses of the Charleston Pride over this last game report period, all of these south of the Sand River. Past speculation has been that the presence of the Selati Pride in the south-western parts of the reserve would encourage the Charleston Pride to avoid this area and re-occupy their old haunts to the north of the river. So far this has not happened. One of the sightings of the lionesses during May hinted that one of them might have been at an advanced stage of pregnancy. There have certainly been no sightings of the lionesses mating with the Golf Course Males, the latter the coalition of male lions which have been observed making contact with the Charleston Pride over the past few months. Hopefully next months viewing will shed more light on just what is happening with these lionesses.

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April 2001

1 ADULT FEMALE * 8 years 2 months
3 Lionesses * 4 years 8 months

Location: SOUTH EASTERN CHARLESTON (south of the Sand River)

There were no sightings of the Charleston Pride north of the Sand River, perhaps due to the continued presence of some members of the Windmill Pride in this area, or perhaps due to the fact that the Golf Course Males have failed to explore this area with much enthusiasm. Although there have been no further contacts seen between the Golf Course Males and the Charleston Pride lionesses, natural body physiology would at some stage cause the females to seek out males to mate with. They would also want males which have a territory and could defend any cubs which are born. Should the Golf Course Males fail to go to the lionesses, then the latter would, to some degree at least and as far as existing territorial boundaries allowed, go to the males.

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March 2001

1 ADULT FEMALE * 8 years 1 months
3 Lionesses * 4 years 7 months

Location: SOUTH EASTERN CHARLESTON

March proved to be a fine month of viewing as far as the Charleston Pride was concerned and particularly relative to the previous few months. Towards the beginning of March there was a meeting between the four lionesses of the Charleston Pride, two from the Selati Pride and the three Golf Course Males. As expected, this get-together was anything but friendly, but, in the larger scheme of things, could prove most beneficial for all lions concerned. Not only will such contact help establish territorial boundaries between the various groups of females, but will also allow the lionesses of the Charleston Pride and the three Golf Course Males to become aquainted. So far sightings have indicated that the Golf Course Males have concentrated their efforts upon the Selati Pride, but, now that these lionesses have cubs, they will surely be casting their eyes further afield. For the Charleston Pride, they have been without a dominant coalition of males for some time and, as a natural course of events, should be wanting to gain some security and have cubs again. After this interaction between the lions which took place on the western bank of the Sand River, the Charleston Pride fled north and east and spent most of the remainder of the month on the opposite bank of the Sand River, an area where historically they have spent much time. Hopefully they will stay here and leave the Selati Pride to the west and south, the area which the River Rocks Pride last held and which the Charleston Pride then later also tried to move into. Another positive sign indicating that the Charleston Pride were not negatively affected by this clash was that later on in the month, the oldest lioness and one of the Golf Course Males were again seen together and there was some hint that the lioness was in oestrus and looking to mate. Hopefully now that territorial boundaries are perhaps better understood and some suspicions between 'strange' lions have been smoothed over, the Charleston Pride will enter into a new phase of stability and, together with the Golf Course Males, start another litter of cubs.

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February 2001

1 ADULT FEMALE * 7 years 10 months
7 SUB ADULTS (4 males and 3 females) * 4 years 6 months

Location: SOUTH EASTERN CHARLESTON

The single sighting of the Charleston Pride this month included some drama and involved them attacking the small herd of buffalo. In this instance the four lionesses apparently targeted the only small calf in the herd and although wounded it, the youngster managed to escape, this with the aid of the adult buffalo of the herd. After an hour or so of this, lions were seen to give up their efforts and move away from the buffalo. Just where the Charleston Pride went after this and where they appeared from is anyone's guess. As far as is known, they have not made acquaintances with the three Golf Course Males which are now the dominant male lions of the south western parts of the reserve. It is highly likely that these three males have encouraged the young male lions of the Charleston Pride to move off; these lions were not encountered this month. The Charleston Pride lionesses need to make a firm stand in their area or they run the risk of losing it to some other lions, the Selati and Windmill Prides in particular. Lions from both of these prides were encountered this month east and north of the Sand River, on areas where the Charleston Pride can be expected to roam.

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January 2001