CLARENDON PRIDE
August - December 2002
CLARENDON
PRIDE = 7
6 ADULT LIONESSES
1 SUB ADULT MALE
Location: NE EYREFIELD
There were no confirmed sightings of these lions this month.
July 2002
CLARENDON PRIDE = 7
6 ADULT LIONESSES
1 SUB ADULT MALE
Location: NE EYREFIELD
There were no sightings of the Clarendon Pride this month, perhaps due to prey animal movements and/ or cubs keeping them area-restricted to the north of Mala Mala.
June 2002
6
ADULT LIONESSES
1 SUB ADULT MALE
Location: NE EYREFIELD
Little was seen of the Clarendon Pride and the Split Rock Males during June. This may perhaps be a consequence of either the developing dry-season conditions and the influence which this has upon prey animal movements. Alternatively, some of the Clarendon Pride may have cubs and the demands of these small youngsters may well restrict the movements of the pride.
May 2002
6
ADULT LIONESSES
1 SUB ADULT MALE
Location: NE EYREFIELD/ NORTHERN MALA MALA
Compared with Aprils viewing, the lionesses of the Clarendon Pride hardly put on an appearance this month, being seen only a few times and never together. Could it be that they have cubs, fathered by the Split Rock Males, and that these youngsters, at a stage of immobility, are keeping them from wandering far and wide?
April 2002
CLARENDON PRIDE = 7
6 ADULT LIONESSES
1 SUB ADULT MALE
Location: EYREFIELD/ NORTHERN MALA MALA
The
Clarendon Pride delivered a fine month of viewing, starting things when
they were found with a freshly killed male buffalo. Whilst they were feeding
from it, a herd of elephants appeared and for nearly an hour tried to
chase the lions from the carcass. Most of the lionesses, including the
larger of the Split Rock Males which seemed to spend much of the month
with these lionesses, retreated when the elephants advanced. Only the
two old lionesses of the pride bravely stood their ground, at times snarling
at elephants only meters off them. But in the end the elephants moved
off and the lions had three days of full bellies before heading south,
following the large herd of buffalo deep into Styx Pride territory. Here
things went wrong for them. Accompanied by the same large Split Rock Male,
they were distracted from the buffalo by the arrival of the young male
which is seen so often with them and may be the brother of the younger
lionesses of the Clarendon Pride. The Split Rock Male did nothing to hide
his aggression towards this sub adult male and the lions then had their
efforts directed at the buffalo distracted by this interaction. Eventually
the pride split up with two of the younger lionesses following the now
rapidly moving buffalo and the rest lying around waiting for social problems
to be ironed out. Then, to complicate matters, two
of the old West Street Males, which the Split Rock Males routed last November,
appeared on the scene. This time they were in their territory and the
Clarendon Pride and Split Rock Male were 'invaders' and so at a psychological
disadvantage. No interaction was seen at that stage and all lions were
left lying 100 meters apart. Whilst they were lying here, a female buffalo
with a newly born and just tottering calf bypassed them by only 50 or
so meters, but the lions failed to detect them.
The
following morning, lions were all over the place, two of the Clarendon
Pride far away and moving away, one other lioness with a bulging belly
looking for others (she had probably caught a young buffalo and eaten
it all by herself), and two of the lionesses, the large Split Rock Male
and the young male watching the large herd of buffalo a couple of kilometres
from where all of the lions had been left the previous evening. And only
a few hundred meters from these lions were the two West Street Males -
watching the buffalo and the other lions, but hidden in some thickets.
When the large herd of buffalo moved off, again rapidly with intentions
no doubt of getting out of the area, the lions did not follow. Later on
a lone buffalo bull walked right amongst the four lions, but the only
one to show any interest was the young lioness with the corkscrew tail.
She came within mere meters of the buffalo before he saw her and after
initially taking fright, came back at her and chased her off. The other
lions watched this show with only mild curiosity - such no doubt is their
respect for the lone buffalo bull. But things were to change. That afternoon,
the Split Rock Male and the trio from the Clarendon Pride (young male
included) were on the freshly killed carcass of an adult female buffalo,
perhaps the same one which had bypassed them with the newborn calf the
previous night. A dead buffalo calf was also in the area. As the lions
were feeding, the two West Street Males emerged and headed their way and
in a matter of minutes had the lone Split Rock Male on the run, chasing
him far up the Matshapiri River before they halted and returned to the
carcass of the buffalo where the other three lions were now feeding. Since
this trio of lions seemed to show great subservience towards the West
Street Males, they were left well alone and all lions stayed in the area
for the next 24 hours until the Split Rock Male returned. This time the
West Street Males did not even try anything; they fled. The single Split
Rock Male walked towards them, stiff-legged and holding his head high
with his mane standing up. The West Street Males ran.
The
next big event for some of the Clarendon Pride happened not long after
this when some of them and one of the other Split Rock Males again harassed
the buffalo, eventually that evening finding an apparently abandoned buffalo
calf. Then, a couple of weeks later, three of the lionesses and the young
male of the pride killed an old buffalo cow along the upper reaches of
the Mlowathi River, an area more Styx Prides' than theirs. The Styx Pride
arrived on the scene and chased the Clarendon Pride off, before themselves
being chased off by the three Split Rock Males. In the process the Styx
Pride lost two of their cubs.
Then, towards the end of the month, the Clarendon Pride and all three of the Split Rock Males were found close to the northeastern parts of the reserve with the carcasses of three buffalo, two cows and a calf. So certainly a dramatic month for the Clarendon Pride. The Split Rock Males, particularly the largest of the trio, were often with the lionesses. It is not known whether any of the pride members are pregnant or not.
March 2002
CLARENDON PRIDE = 7
6 ADULT LIONESSES
1 SUB ADULT MALE
Location: EYREFIELD
The Clarendon Pride is the family of lions which has been seen more and more frequently over the past half year to the north and northeast of the reserve, encroaching on areas up until now relatively under-utilised and sometimes patrolled by the Styx Pride, Windmill Pride (of late) and the Emsagwen Pride lioness. The Emsagwen Pride lioness should in fact have a niche right in the middle of the area worked by the Clarendon Pride. It will be interesting to see how she copes.
The three male lions (there were four at one stage when they first made an appearance in the area) associated with them are known as the Split Rock Males.
Several
of the lionesses of the Clarendon Pride have some very recognisable features
and two of the females appear to be very old with lower canines worn down
almost to stumps. One of these old lionesses is missing the tip of her
tail and also the tip of her right ear. One of the younger lionesses has
a corkscrew twist midway along her tail and another has massive scarring
around her chest area. The young male lion with them is approximately
three or four years of age and perhaps a brother to the younger lionesses
of the family. His standing in the group is tenuous; the Split Rock Males
have beaten him up several times and the lionesses are treating him with
increasing hostility. The time is coming for this young male to head off
on his own.
The Clarendon Pride was the family which, together with one of the Split Rock Males, killed a young buffalo deep inside Styx Pride territory last month. But by and large the Clarendon Pride seems to be staying to the east of the areas currently worked by the Styx Pride. During March the Clarendon Pride spent much time following the large herd of buffalo and seemed to meet with only some success. They were seen with an adult female buffalo kill in mid-march, but then the buffalo appeared to keep ahead of them and although the lions seemed keen, they failed to penetrate the defences of these large grazers. On one occasion when they and all three of the Split Rock Males had been left eyeing out the buffalo which subsequently left them behind, one of the older lionesses detected something in the nearby bushline, either a smell or a noise, and immediately headed that way. The object of her attention turned out to be the half-eaten carcass of an adult female impala, probably killed the night before by a leopard. The leopard had by this stage abandoned the area and the lions pounced. But one of the Split Rock Males was just too quick and dominated the feeding, leaving the old lioness to grit her teeth. The two older lionesses of this group seem to have reached that tragic stage when they simply cannot keep up and so are not always in time to wrestle their ways into a small kill. If small kills are the most frequent of the lions' meals, then the poor condition of these old females will only get poorer. But if they can kill large buffalo or zebra or some other such big creatures on a regular basis, then they may not deteriorate as fast.
February 2002
The
six lionesses seen with the one male lion of the '4' were from the pride
which has been seen with ever-increasing regularity towards the northeastern
parts of the reserve. They are an easily recognisable group with one lioness
having an almost knotted tail, the one missing a tail tip, one with a
blind left eye and one with great scars around her neck and chest region.
They were seen together as a pride of six only once this month, this when
they killed the buffalo calf. On other occasions, two of them spent much
time following buffalo with three of the four male lions which frequent
the northeastern parts of Mala Mala. The decision to stay with these males
proved painful because although at least one buffalo calf was killed,
the lionesses probably had next to nothing to eat as the male lions totally
dominated. It is almost certain that several of these lionesses have mated
with some of these male lions. But in terms of territory, the movements
of these lionesses remain fluid. Will they become a permanent feature
of the northeastern parts of Mala Mala or will they prove to be a transitory
pride which will 'go home' when their cubs are born or the local food
supply changes? Their presence in the western parts of Mala Mala this
month must have caused the Styx Pride some sleepless moments, but fortunately
the stay proved short.
January 2002
As
far as is known, the coalition of 4 male lions seen in the northern areas
of Mala Mala have not made contact with any members of the Styx Pride
and seem to have concentrated their attentions on the old Emsagwen lioness
and a family of at least five lionesses which seems to be spending more
and more time in this area too. One of the lionesses of this pride has
a noticeably kink in her tail. Some of these lionesses were seen mating
with the two most dominant members of the '4' towards the beginning of
the game-report-period. The male lions involved in the mating - the older
male and one of the younger ones - appeared slightly unsure of how to
go about things when they were approached by the lionesses. This was probably
the cause of the some of the aggression which the lionesses then directed
at them whilst mating and soliciting. The two males of the coalition which
did not have any females to mate with - number 3 and 4 in the hierarchy
of the male group - slept whilst all of this was going on.
November 2001
4
lions, 1 sub adult male & 3 lionesses, and 2 lionesses: These 6 lions
were seen on Eyrefield and it is thought that they belong to the group
of five lionesses seen last month on the northeastern parts of Mala Mala.
The young male may have been part of the above-mentioned coalition of
four. They were not seen together as a pride of five lionesses. The 2
lionesses, one of them very old with canines worn to mere stumps, were
found at a buffalo carcass which had probably been killed by the Styx
Pride. For some reason the Styx Pride abandoned it to them, this in spite
of the kill being squarely in land considered prime Styx Pride territory.
At the same time and not many kilometres away were the other three lionesses
of the pride, accompanied by a young male and eyeing out the large herd
of buffalo. The following day these four lions, together with one of the
West Street Males and two of the Eyrefield Pride lionesses, were sharing
the carcass of an adult male buffalo. It is thought that the four lions
had killed the buffalo and had later been joined by the other three. The
following day the only lions in the area were the three West Street Males;
even the Eyrefield lionesses had fled.
October 2001
Four lions - 3 lionesses and a young male - with a fairly nervous disposition were seen just inside the Kruger National Park close to the north-eastern corner of Mala Mala and almost certainly a family which spends most of its time in this national park.
5 lionesses: There were three sightings of this pride, all towards the upper reaches of the Matshapiri River. Two of the sightings were of all five together, the other and first sighting of only three of the members. The lionesses were not in the least concerned by vehicles and were almost certainly from areas to the north of Mala Mala. The abundance of game on the green grass of these recently burned areas no doubt tempted them to leave their usual haunts and enter this region. One of the lionesses had a badly injured front leg, perhaps even broken, and the other members of the pride appeared to be waiting for her. Another of the lionesses was easily distinguishable by a very corkscrewed tail, the twist occurring halfway along the length. A blind eye and other scars further characterised this group. The last encounter with them had all five in the middle of a large open area and surrounded by zebra. Whilst the younger members were tempted from time to time to stalk towards the zebras, the older more experienced lionesses remained seemingly oblivious of their presence. Such a scenario must be the height of frustration for lions - food so close and plentiful, but completely inaccessible!
MalaMala
Game Reserve, PO Box 55514, Northlands, 2116, South Africa.
Telephone:
+ 27 11 442 2267 or 0861 SAFARI.
Facsimile: + 27 11 442 2318
e-Mail: reservations@malamala.com
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