MalaMala - The Wildlife

The lionesses of the Eyrefield Pride really seem to have split up and this may well become permanent. The five cubs still remain healthy although there was a scare at one stage when only three cubs were seen for several days before the other two were reunited with them. It seems as if they had simply been forgotten somewhere. With the flow of the Sand River dropping, the five cubs and the two mothers of these cubs crossed over to the eastern bank using the causeway close to the Mala Mala Main Camp. All seemed quite well planned. The previous night two of the West Street Males had been on the eastern bank following buffalo which chased them off. These two males then crossed back onto the western bank, joined up with the third member of the coalition and the two lionesses and their cubs. As darkness fell, these ten lions headed for the causeway. Water was still flowing over the concrete and was nearly a foot deep. The lions seemed to hesitate and all had long drinks of water. Finally the West Street Males decided to cross and they were followed by a huddle of females and cubs. A more protective grouping of lions and cubs could hardly be imagined as the young lions struggled against the rushing water. But the lionesses had put themselves in a most sheltering position and shielded most of the force of the water and all made it across without getting swept away. Relief amongst the cubs was most evident. The crossing onto the eastern bank seemed to start badly and if the lions caught anything for the first two days, it failed to even fill the stomachs of the male lions. Then they hit a stroke of luck. Having hidden the cubs, the two lionesses and three males were lying up one morning along the lower reaches of the Kapen River when descending vultures led them to the carcass of an adult female giraffe which had died as a result of complications whilst trying to give birth. This was exactly what they wanted. Whilst the males fought for position around the massive carcass, the lionesses went to fetch the babies, returning within two hours. This was food enough for several days. As could be expected, the lionesses made no effort to summons any other members of the pride to the feast and they had it all to themselves. There were other sightings of the Eyrefield Pride members during the month, but these were not consistent. The two lionesses looking after the five cubs have been left to do so pretty much on their own.

The other six Eyrefield Pride members seem to have made up their minds not to get too involved and to concentrate upon other things. Could this in fact mean a break-up of the pride? Have the five younger male lions to the south of the territory occupied by the West Street Males and Eyrefield Pride lionesses managed to 'capture' some of the lionesses and lure them away? The West Street Males and several of the lionesses of the Eyrefield Pride as well as the five cubs spent several days in this potentially dangerous peripheral area this month and when they departed, at least four of the five young males from this coalition appeared, perhaps to make sure that they stayed away. If some of the lionesses of the Eyrefield Pride have indeed gone to these five males, could this perhaps take the pressure off the others and the West Street Males for at least some time and if so, will it buy just a few more months over which the five cubs can move closer to independence and safety from death at the claws of invading male coalitions?

All in all, perhaps five lionesses of the Eyrefield Pride were seen this month. The young male of this pride was also seen several times, but he definitely appears to be living closer to the edge, nearer to the day when he finally leaves. One of the finer sightings involving the Eyrefield Pride occurred one morning, the day after some of them, cubs and the two of the West Street Males had been chased from the Mala Mala Main Camp where they had killed an adult male Nyala. The lions, looking quite well fed, were sleeping near the Mala Mala airstrip when one of them stood up and moved off. The cubs soon followed and this caused the two remaining lionesses to join them. Following the scent left by the lioness which had departed first, the lions came across the partly eaten carcass of an adult female impala. All evidence suggested that a leopard had killed the impala and that the lions had fortuitously (for them that is) arrived on the scene. A fine feeding frenzy amongst the lion cubs was the result.

November 2001

7 ADULT FEMALES (most of these lionesses would be between 7 years and 8 years)
1 FEMALE - 3 years +
1 MALE - 3 years +
3 CUBS - 10 months
2 CUBS - 9 months

Although several of the lionesses of the Eyrefield Pride were seen this month, sightings were mostly of small groups of them and mostly on the western bank of the Sand River. This latter positioning of the lions may have had something to do with the strong flowing of the Sand River due to heavy rains experienced during November and due to a food supply available in this general area. Many other reserves to the immediate west of Mala Mala burned great tracts of land and the resultant green grass would encourage the grazers to congregate and hence attract the predators. There were no sightings of all eight lionesses together this month, but all five cubs are certainly still alive and well. But will this be the case in a few months time? Although the Eyrefield Pride certainly wandered westwards, the fathers of the cubs, the aging West Street Males, seemed most reluctant to follow. Just why this would be is not known, but if they are not around to discourage the younger males waiting in the wings, then the young lions could be seriously threatened. Interestingly, the West Street Males spent most of their time to the north-east of the reserve, the area abandoned by the Mlowathi Males and on one occasion when one of the West Street Males moved in to take a buffalo carcass killed by some other lions, two lionesses of the Eyrefield Pride also pitched up. This was way out of their territory and the next day they were seen heading back east. This next month should hopefully produce some further news of the Eyrefield Pride, particularly if the flow of the Sand River decreases and the quality of the grazing on the freshly burned areas declines.

October 2001

7 ADULT FEMALES (most of these lionesses would be between 7 years and 8 years)
1 FEMALE - 3 years
1 MALE - 3 years
3 CUBS - 9 months
2 CUBS - 8 months

It is not known if all 8 lionesses of the Eyrefield Pride were seen this month. Sightings of the lionesses were mostly of the various members in smallish groups, usually accompanied by either the one West Street Male and/ or the young male lion of the pride. The largest gathering of lionesses of this pride was five and on the one day when such a collection was observed, another of them was seen with one of the West Street Males.

As was seen last month, the two lionesses with the five cubs have been keeping largely to themselves and to the northern parts of their territory. This would be in response to the West Street Males moving more north and also to the presence of younger males to the south. What will be interesting to see is whether the Eyrefield Pride continues to follow the West Street Males into the northern parts of the reserve which up until recently were controlled by the Styx Pride. The arrival of the West Street Males in these areas has caused the Styx Pride to flee. Years ago the Eyrefield Pride were frequent visitors of some of these areas, particularly western Eyrefield along the Mlowathi River.

Perhaps one of the best sightings involving the Eyrefield Pride occurred when five of the lionesses and one of the West Street Males were sleeping in the Sand River near the bridge, apparently resting up on empty bellies after an unsuccessful nights hunting. Their sleep would probably have continued until nightfall had there not been the unexpected arrival of the large herd of buffalo. The buffalo were probably exhausted, thirsty and traumatised from three or four days of running around the reserve and being chased by lions, so all psychological advantage would have been with the lions which wasted no time in attacking. Within minutes they had wrestled a calf to the ground and the rest of the herd turned and fled.

The next few months could prove most interesting for the lionesses of the Eyrefield Pride; will the West Street Males continue to prosper and hold their new-found territory and will this attract the lionesses of the Eyrefield Pride towards this area? As the cubs get bigger and more mobile, will the other members of the pride rejoin with the two mothers since they would no longer be such a hindrance to their movements? And will the five young males to the south of their territory make further moves north which may either 'capture' or chase the lionesses?

September 2001

7 ADULT FEMALES (most of these lionesses would be between 7 years and 11 months & 7 years and 6 months)
1 SUB ADULT FEMALE - 36 months
1 SUB ADULT MALE - 36 months
3 CUBS - 8 months
3 CUBS - 7 months

Compared with previous months, little was seen of the Eyrefield Pride during September and they and the West Street Males stayed well away from buffalo, a prey species which they have of late repeatedly targeted. The largest single gathering of this pride was 10 - including five lionesses and the cubs. The two lionesses thought to be the mothers of the cubs spent much of the time towards the north of their known range, this perhaps in response to the presence of five young males further south. Such young males would act with great hostility to the cubs and almost certainly seek to kill them. Just how the other lionesses of the Eyrefield Pride would receive these new males is not known. At one stage the five young males were seen with two lionesses which may have been from the Eyrefield Pride; mating was observed. If this was the case, it would then appear as if some lionesses welcome the males and the others with cubs not. If the West Street Males do get overthrown and the two lionesses with cubs seek to avoid the five young males, as they surely must, then perhaps a permanent split amongst the 8 lionesses of this pride is in the making. Time will tell. A month or so ago it was also thought that one of the lionesses this pride was about to give birth, but so far there has been no evidence. At the beginning of this report period, one of the West Street Males was seen mating with one of the Eyrefield Pride lionesses.

August 2001

7 ADULT FEMALES (most of these lionesses would be between 7 years and 10 months & 7 years and 5 months)
1 SUB ADULT FEMALE - 35 months
1 SUB ADULT MALE - 35 months
3 CUBS - 7.5 months
3 CUBS - 6 months

There were many sightings of various members of the Eyrefield Pride this month and the first for a long time of all 8 lionesses together. This latter encounter happened when the lions attacked a herd of buffalo and killed one. Needless to say, the gathering did not last long and that evening the various cliques of lions were going their separate ways.

Towards months end there were only five cubs still alive, one youngster abandoned when it had injured its leg, perhaps when the pride killed a buffalo. But maybe this was one of the lucky ones. Although the old West Street Males are still around, younger males are definitely waiting for an opportunity to kick them out and once that happens the cubs will almost certainly be killed. As has been their pattern of action over the last few months, the Eyrefield Pride appeared to concentrate on killing buffalo and accounted for several of these, mostly young animals and mostly from a herd of 200 or so which have been making much use of the western bank of the Sand River. On one occasion when they had been with the West Street Males in the morning and were seeing killing a young warthog which unexpectedly ran amongst them, they intercepted this buffalo herd which had in fact been chased their way by two young male lions. A young buffalo was killed and perhaps another after some of the lions continued to pursue the herd as it bolted through thick bush. The young male lions which had been chasing the herd initially tired to dominate the kill, but eventually and reluctantly let some of the lionesses and all cubs access. As the lions tore into the carcass, a herd of elephants, obviously taking exception to the lions and the kill, came thundering in and scattered all. The lions escaped and later must have returned to their meal. But concerning for the Eyrefield Pride must be the presence of the young males and the fact that they were apparently allowed by the West Street Males to stay and eat. In many ways this shows a definite loss of confidence by the adult males.

7 ADULT FEMALES
1 SUB ADULT FEMALE - 34 months
1 SUB ADULT MALE - 34 months
3 CUBS - 6.5 months
3 CUBS - 5 months

Location: SE MARTHLY/ W MALA MALA/ W FLOCKFIELD

The lions of the Eyrefield Pride continued to provide fine viewing this month and there was a definite change of fortunes for them towards the start of this game-report-period. Last month saw success constantly elude the lionesses as they struggled to find food for themselves and their cubs and, as things progressed, so the cubs and the adults became thinner and thinner. Then, towards the beginning of this game report period, the large herd of buffalo returned and the lions were onto them in a matter of hours, successfully killing an adult male. The noise of this skirmish was heard from the Mala Mala Main Camp and the next morning some of the lionesses were seen leading the cubs back towards the kill and here they stayed for several days. Of course this sort of welcome would not be pleasant for the buffalo and they fled, denying the lions any further big kills. Nonetheless, things seemed to keep going well for them until the buffalo returned again a couple of weeks later and once more the lions were there in a flash, killing another large bull. Just how the lions knew that the buffalo had returned is unknown as they were many kilometres away when it happened. Again, the buffalo did not hang around and turned back the way they had come, but this time they turned south again, perhaps hoping to bypass the lions. Strangely, the Eyrefield Pride did not have the rapid success with the large herd of buffalo on this occasion. Although they were certainly aware of the buffalo and were constantly trailing them, they were not seen to launch any successful attacks. But the two buffalo bulls killed this month could well have been the turning point in the lives of the young cubs. Now all they have to worry about is their fathers staying alive and in charge until they are safely out of danger. But for how long the West Street Males will be able to hold on is anyone's guess. The speculation that their overthrow is imminent is now old, yet somehow they have still remained in charge. So let the best be hoped for and perhaps the buffaloes did not die in vain. As has been the case for some months now, there have been no sightings to confirm whether all 8 lionesses of the Eyrefield Pride are still alive or not. Also, there has been no evidence that another of the lionesses has given birth. One of them last month certainly appeared on the verge of doing so, but this has not yet been confirmed.

June 2001

7 ADULT FEMALES
1 SUB ADULT FEMALE - 33 months
1 SUB ADULT MALE - 33 months
2 CUBS - 6 months
4 CUBS - 5.5 months
3 CUBS - 4 months

Location: SE MARTHLY/ SW EYREFIELD/ W MALA MALA/ W FLOCKFIELD/ NW CHARLESTON

The lions from the Eyrefield Pride contributed to the bulk of lion viewing on Mala Mala this month, but for them the going was not too good. Towards the beginning of the month there were definitely 9 cubs, these representing 3 litters. However, by the end of the month, 3 of the youngsters had disappeared, almost certainly having died. Two of the babies were lost early in the month when they had been left behind after the others had been moved from one area to another. These two were seen briefly wandering around, patiently waiting for the lionesses to return. As far as is known, this did not happen and the poor little cubs must have died. The third cub to disappear could well have been the fourth one from the second litter, a weak looking youngster right from the beginning. To make things more difficult, hunting conditions have not been easy and the Eyrefield Pride seems almost to live for buffalo, going rake-thin in between the times when they manage to catch one of these large creatures. But it is a bad time of year to depend upon large and nomadic herbivores. Water and grazing is still in abundance everywhere and although the river systems may be more attractive, if the lions are waiting for them, they still have other areas to go to. And this has been the case with the buffalo. A single concerted attack by the lions sends them packing to the more remote areas of their range, away from the lions. In the absence of the buffalo, the lions have to make do with other creatures such as kudu and impala but in this respect they have not been really successful. Perhaps what has been seen this month reflects the lions battling to adapt to the prey animals' slight change of behaviour as true winter conditions settle over the area. Under such circumstances, the prey species spend more time higher up on the hilltops where it is warmer, this particularly in the evenings. Also, the grass is dry and noisy, this acting to the disadvantage of the hunter. But for whatever bad times have fallen on them, the two mothers of the surviving six cubs have certainly proved most devoted and some really touching scenes of reunification between lionesses and cubs have been witnessed. To add to their woes of course has been the death this month of one of the West Street Males, the fathers and protectors of the cubs. This leaves three of the original five coalition members and all are in declining condition. There have still not been any sightings of all 8 lionesses of the Eyrefield Pride together and none to suggest that all eight are in fact still around, even in different groups - what could have happened to the other two?

May 2001

7 ADULT FEMALES (most of these lionesses would be between 7 years and 7 months & 7 years and 2 month)
1 SUB ADULT FEMALE - 32 months
1 SUB ADULT MALE - 32 months
2 CUBS - 5 months
4 CUBS - 4.5 months

Location: MONTHS WESTERN MALA MALA/ WESTERN FLOCKFIELD/ NW CHARLESTON

The great news regarding the Eyrefield Pride this month was of the first sighting of the cubs born to two of the lionesses in early to mid January. A total of six youngsters, suspected as being members of a litter of four and a litter of two, were first seen at the carcass of an adult male buffalo. Although the two older cubs were perhaps born only a few weeks before the other four, the size difference was quite noticeable.

One other lioness of this pride is also lactating, but her cubs would be at least a month younger than the litter of four and competition amongst them would certainly favour the older ones. For this reason it may be some weeks before these cubs are seen regularly with the older ones. The buffalo kill was also attended by several other lionesses of the Eyrefield Pride as well as all four of the West Street Males - the fathers of the cubs - and the young male which has been lurking around this family for the last year.
Fortunately the cubs were most relaxed in the presence of vehicles and some fine viewing was had. The young lioness of the Eyrefield Pride - the cubs' older half-sister - has taken quite a caretaker role and, under the watchful eye of the mothers, engages in some quite rough play with the cubs. This differs tremendously from the reaction of the lionesses to the young male lion; he has become decidedly sidelined and although he has been seen feeding on kills with the females, has to move off at once when finished. Any other approaches towards the cubs are met with nasty snarls and threatening advances from the lionesses.

Once this buffalo kill was completed - it took only two days for the carcass to be reduced to bones - the lionesses and cubs went into hiding for a day. The following evening they were out and on the move again, attended by one of the West Street Males which, unlike the other three, appears to have a slightly better developed sense of paternal devotion to the youngsters. The following morning, and not far from where they had been left the night before, these lions were found on a freshly killed adult zebra, a kill which kept them with full bellies for several days.

Two days later, whilst three of the lionesses and the cubs were resting up not far from where the zebra was caught, a troop of baboons must have walked right into them and before they could react, one of them was caught. As is so often the case, predators hate baboons and seem to catch them more for vengeance than food. Nonetheless, with the cubs around and not wanting to waste anything, the baboon was eaten and there was some fine viewing of the squabbling cubs.

There were no sightings of all eight lionesses of the Eyrefield Pride together. It is also not certain just how many of the other lionesses are still pregnant.

In spite of the fine viewing already offered by these young lions and the promise of much more, there is a real chance that the cubs will not make it to maturity. Perhaps the greatest threat facing young lions is infanticide, when new male lions take over a territory and then set about killing all cubs fathered by the old coalition of males, this in order that the lionesses come into season as soon as possible. And for the West Street Males their days are indeed numbered. Although the four still around really do seem to be getting enough to eat, this certainly courtesy mostly of the efforts of the lionesses, they are appearing more bedraggled by the day and it is surely only a matter of time before a serious challenge from younger more confidant young males comes through.

April 2001

7 ADULT FEMALES (most of these lionesses would be between 7 years and 6 months & 7 years and 1 month)
1 SUB ADULT FEMALE - 31 months
1 SUB ADULT MALE - 31 months

Location: WESTERN MALA MALA/ WESTERN FLOCKFIELD

The largest gatherings seen of lionesses from the Eyrefield Pride this month were several of four of them, once or twice accompanied by the West Street Males. At one such gathering of both males and females, the lions killed two adult impala, but, as could be expected, the lionesses had to make do with scraps whilst the bigger and stronger males dominated. The young male lion which has been with the Eyrefield Pride for some time now is still around, although his association with them is perhaps a bit more distant. This may well be due to several of them having young cubs and proving more protective than has been the case in the past. Of the cubs there has still been no sign, but it should be any day soon when they are taken out to get their share of meat on kills and then sightings should be frequent. Of the lionesses, at least three of them appear to have had cubs in the last few months. Others may be pregnant but at this stage do not show it. Towards the end of this game-report period one of the West Street Males was mating with one of the lioness of the Eyrefield Pride.

March 2001

7 ADULT FEMALES
1 SUB ADULT FEMALE - 30 months
1 SUB ADULT MALE - 30 months

Location: WESTERN MALA MALA/ CENTRAL AND WESTERN FLOCKFIELD/ NW CHARLESTON

There were no sightings during March of all lionesses of the Eyrefield Pride together, the highest count being one of six. Most encounters with members of this family were of individuals or small groups of females, particularly the two or three which already have cubs or are about to give birth. There have still been no sightings of the cubs, but it should be any day now that they are brought out to start eating meat. It is suspected that these tiny lions are being kept in thick reedbeds or bushes close to the bank of the Sand River towards the centre of the reserve. The West Street Males are still spending much of their time with the lionesses. Just how much support they can give to the Eyrefield Pride and for how long is questionable, but maybe luck will shine on them. At one sighting when five of the lionesses and three of the males were found on a freshly killed adult female waterbuck, the much more powerful males certainly took the bulk of the meat - but that is of course to be expected.

February 2001

7 ADULT FEMALES (between 7 years and 3 months & 6 years and 10 months of age)
1 SUB ADULT FEMALE - 29 months
1 SUB ADULT MALE - 29 months

Location: WESTERN MALA MALA/ CENTRAL AND WESTERN FLOCKFIELD/ NW CHARLESTON

There were no encounters of all lionesses of the Eyrefield Pride together this month, almost certainly due to the fact that some have small cubs to look after whilst others do not. The largest single gathering encountered during February was one in which five of the lionesses were found hunting with two of the West Street Males and the young male which has attached himself to this family. As far as is known, at least two of the lionesses of the pride have given birth and several others appear to be on the verge of doing so. Any cubs could be no more than two months of age. It is not known where these youngsters are being kept, perhaps to the south and west of Mala Mala. Given the nature of these lions, however, it could not be expected to see any of the cubs until perhaps towards the end of next month. Things are unfortunately not as rosy as they may initially appear. As has been the situation for some time now, the declining strength of the West Street Males means that the future for any cubs would not be particularly secure. However, luck may well come their way. In spite of the fact that these males are indeed rather decrepit and not in the best condition to act as great protectors against younger stronger males, if they have no adversaries, they could well continue for some time and the cubs would then thrive.

January 2001

7 ADULT FEMALES (between 7 years and 2 months & 6 years and 9 months of age)
1 SUB ADULT FEMALE - 28 months
1 SUB ADULT MALE - 28 months

Location: WESTERN MALA MALA/ CENTRAL AND WESTERN FLOCKFIELD/ NW CHARLESTON

At the beginning of this game-report period one of the lionesses of the Eyrefield Pride was mating with one of the West Street Males. For the rest of the month, this large pride of lions functioned in a most fragmented way. There was no single sighting during January of all 8 lionesses together, with the largest single gathering seen being one of five. Good news, for the immediate term at least, is that at least two of the females probably gave birth this month. However, it is not certain as to where they have hidden the cubs. Some of the other lionesses are also probably at an advanced stage of pregnancy. Under such circumstances then, it is not entirely unexpected that the lions should not be behaving as a single unit. Hopefully if several others give birth in the not too distant future then a greater degree of cohabitation will result. On the other hand, if many of the lionesses have babies and these each several months apart, this may encourage separation as the mothers try to minimise the competitive advantages which the larger cubs always have over the smaller ones and ultimately pride break-up may result. This theory may of course not be entirely unlikely, particularly in this area where smaller prides probably function more effectively given the average small size of the prey animals encountered. Just what determines which lions go with what others is difficult to note, but the decision cannot always be random. One interesting sight involving the Eyrefield Pride was of four of the females, two of the West Street Males and the sub adult male which has taken to staying with them lying within a few hundred meters of another two lionesses of the pride. When darkness fell, the larger group headed north, whilst the pair went south, looking furtively towards their companions, but making no effort whatsoever to join the bigger hunting party. They seemed to have already decided that they would go on their own mission. Also favouring a break-up of prides at this stage would be the abundance of small prey and the good condition of the larger prey such as buffalo. Even when they are in a relatively weak condition, buffalo can be dangerous and still require large numbers of lions to subdue, so if they are fit and healthy, why take the risk if there are alternatives and if the latter are small and require only few lions to kill, why stay together?

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

December 2001

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