December 2006

EYREFIELD PRIDE = 4

1 ADULT FEMALE                                                 * 12 YEARS 9 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE                                                 * 8 YEARS 2 MONTHS
2 ADULT FEMALES                                               * 5 YEARS

Location: MALA MALA, FLOCKFIELD, CHARLSETON
(10 sightings)

The first sighting of the report period occurred when the two Rollercoaster Males and four members of the Eyrefield Pride were found near West Street Bridge. Earlier in the evening, a ranger in the area detected audio of lions feeding and snarling in the river, but could not locate any animals. Perhaps these lions had shared a small kill in the river, but there was no clear evidence of this. Thereafter, three adult lionesses were seen in the Sand River, near Flockfield Boma Crossing. Two of the females were merely resting alongside the water channel, but the third female provided some entertainment as she chased some buffaloes that were moving through the river reeds. One of the females appeared extremely pregnant and she will give birth soon. Some days later, tracks of these lions were found heading east, in the direction of Baby Elephant Walk, an area where the Eyrefield Pride have stashed their new cubs on previous occasions. Hopefully this den site will be used again. The Eyrefield Pride appears to be very well established in the central parts of Mala Mala.

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November 2006

EYREFIELD PRIDE = 4

1 ADULT FEMALE                                                 * 12 YEARS 8 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE                                                 * 8 YEARS 1 MONTH
2 ADULT FEMALES                                               * 4 YEARS 11 MONTHS

Location: MALA MALA, FLOCKFIELD, CHARLSETON
(6 sightings)

The Eyrefield Pride had a normal month and provided some solid viewing on Mala Mala. Sightings of the Eyrefield Pride were mainly of the four remaining females on their own, although they were also seen in the presence of the Rollercoaster Males. The Eyrefield Pride spent most of their time on Flockfield, and towards month end at least two of the females were showing signs of being heavily pregnant. Cubs could be expected any time in December following the mating that took place in the winter months. Both the Sand River and the steep gullies and rocky areas on Flockfield provide ideal areas to hide new-born cubs, areas that the Eyrefield Pride have used in the past to house their offspring. Several years ago, this pride consisted of sixteen lions and three adult males. The death of the adult males led to the complete disintegration and fragmentation of the pride. Hopefully with new males, and cubs on the way, the Eyrefield Pride might once again become a force to be reckoned with on Mala Mala.

Photograph by ranger Bruce Hedges

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October 2006

EYREFIELD PRIDE = 4

1 ADULT FEMALE                                                   * 12 YEARS 7 MONTH
1 ADULT FEMALE                                                   * 8 YEARS
2 ADULT FEMALES                                                 * 4 YEARS 11 MONTHS

Location: MALA MALA, FLOCKFIELD, CHARLSETON
(11 sightings)

The Eyrefield Pride had another good month and provided some good viewing. The lionesses were not seen to mate with the Rollercoaster Males at all this month. This must be a good sign as this means that the mating in the previous few months must have paid off and towards month end some of the females were certainly looking very pregnant. At the start of the month the Eyrefield Pride and Rollercoaster Males were located close to the buffalo herd, and made a good attempt at catching one, but were eventually unsuccessful. Then towards mid month the whole pride and the Rollercoaster Males were found lazing around in the lower reaches of the Chellahanga River. The lions were left that evening resting. The following morning the lions were found with an adult zebra and a juvenile giraffe carcass! It could not be determined if the lions had made both kills, or whether one or both carcasses had been in the area the previous day and were just not located. In any case the lions spent three days feeding from these kills. The constant presence of the Rollercoaster Males in Eyrefield Pride territory can only be good for the long term future and stability of this pride.

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September 2006

EYREFIELD PRIDE = 4

1 ADULT FEMALE                                                   * 12 YEARS 6 MONTH
1 ADULT FEMALE                                                   * 7 YEARS 11 MONTHS
2 ADULT FEMALES                                                 * 4 YEARS 10 MONTHS

Location: MALA MALA, FLOCKFIELD, CHARLSETON
(10 sightings)

The Eyrefield Pride had another fine month and provided some exciting viewing. They, like the Selati Pride, spent the month wandering around Charleston and Flockfield and were seen on a number of occasions towards the south of the reserve. This would still be considered Eyrefield Pride territory, but since the death of the dominant West Street Males a few years back the pride has very seldom ventured into these regions. The Rollercoaster Males spent a fair time of the month with the lionesses and mating was again witnessed. One thing that sightings indicated is that the old lioness of the Eyrefield Pride as well as the 5 year old and her two cubs are still absent and have not been seen for some time now. It is assumed that they have met some or other nasty fate, perhaps at the hands of the Rollercoaster Males who would have certainly wanted to kill any cubs that they had not sired within the pride. Perhaps the mother, in trying to defend her cubs, was also killed, and the old lioness has succumbed to age and whatever was making her look so sick and lose condition. This is tragic for this pride, which two years ago numbered 15 or so individuals, as it means that the pride numbers has been halved. The rest of the pride are in wonderful condition, and are really large lionesses. A fine sighting involving the Eyrefield Pride was of them, in keeping with their reputation, catching an impala near the Mala Mala Bridge in the heat of the morning. Good feeding was witnessed, as the Rollercoaster Male was also present. So the future looks good again for the Eyrefield Pride and the constant presence of the Rollercoaster Males can only be a good sign for them and any cubs that might be born in the next couple of months.

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August 2006

EYREFIELD PRIDE = 8

1 ADULT FEMALE                                                    * 12 YEARS 9 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE                                                    * 12 YEARS 5 MONTH
1 ADULT FEMALE                                                    * 7 YEARS 10 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE                                                    * 5 YEARS 5 MONTH
2 ADULT FEMALES                                                  * 4 YEARS 9 MONTHS
2 Cubs                                                                           * 5 MONTHS

Location: MALA MALA, FLOCKFIELD, CHARLSETON

(21 sightings)

Eyrefield lionesses - Photographs by ranger Grant Telfer

The Eyrefield Pride provided some solid viewing during the August report period. At least half the sightings were of lone Eyrefield Pride lionesses, the pride only being seen together on a few occasions. The lactating lioness of the pride, the one with the two small cubs, was not seen at all during the report period. Just what has happened to her and her cubs is a mystery. With no male lions currently dominant over the Eyrefield Pride’s territory, it is a troubling time for a young mother as she has to constantly move her cubs and avoid any males that might be in the area. Just what the Rollercoaster Males would do should they find her cubs is also unclear, and perhaps their strong presence in the Kapen would explain her absence from this area. The fate of the old 12-year-old lioness of this pride whose health has been on the decline in recent months is also unclear. There were no sightings of this lioness during this report period. Perhaps the most significant event concerning the Eyrefield Pride this month was the arrival of the Rollercoaster Males on Flockfield, an area in the core of Eyrefield Pride territory. At least two different lionesses were seen over a two week period mating with one of the males on the western bank near Rattrays Camp, whilst the other scent marked vigorously in this area. This might be good news for the Eyrefield Pride, as they have been without a dominant coalition supporting the pride and protecting their territory since the death of the West Street Males a few years back. Besides mating, the Eyrefield Pride delivered some fine viewing. On two occasions the lions were seen to climb into trees in an attempt to steal leopard kills, being successful on one occasion.

Eyerfield Pride - Photograph by ranger Sheldon Williams

Another memorable sighting was when 4 lionesses of the Eyrefield Pride chanced upon an injured buffalo that had been abandoned by the herd. The lions wasted no time in stalking the young buffalo and dispatching it.

Eyerfield Pride - Photograph by ranger Sheldon Williams

Then towards the end of the report period one of the young Eyrefield lionesses that had been mating with one of the Rollercoaster Males was seen to kill a very large kudu bull very close to Rattrays Camp on Mala Mala. The following day all of the Eyrefield lionesses were well fed, but the Selati Pride had appropriated the kill from them. This must have been like a bad dream for the Eyrefield Pride, as it will be remembered that the Selati Pride chased them off a giraffe carcass in June in much the same area. Besides that the future of the Eyrefield Pride looks good again with the possibility of cubs being born around November.

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July 2006

EYREFIELD PRIDE = 8

1 ADULT FEMALE                                                     * 12 YEARS 8 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE                                                     *12 YEARS 4 MONTH
1 ADULT FEMALE                                                     *7 YEARS 9 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE                                                     *5 YEARS 4 MONTH
2 ADULT FEMALES                                                   *4 YEARS 8 MONTHS
2 Cubs                                                                            *4 MONTHS

MALA MALA, FLOCKFIELD, CHARLSETON

(19 sightings)

Various members of the Eyrefield Pride were seen often on Flockfield and northern Charleston this game report period. With the oldest lioness not being able to keep up with the rest of her pride, and the seven-year old lioness concerned with mothering duties, there were no sightings of all six lionesses together.

The five younger lionesses all look in superb condition. However, the oldest lioness of the Eyrefield Pride does not look in good shape. She does not seem to have the ability to keep up with the rest of the pride, and she definitely can’t hunt for herself. One wonders how much longer she can carry on. She was seen scavenging off a giraffe carcass in the Sand River south of Charleston South (which was killed by the nomadic lions mentioned below) for nearly a week, early in the game report period. Towards the end of this sighting, she had a very violent altercation with 7 hyenas, whereby she received a vicious mauling. She was, however, later seen scavenging off a rhino carcass on the upper section of the Kapen River , despite the presence of many hyenas at the carcass. Surprisingly, there was little aggressive interaction between the old lioness and the hyenas, and the two species fed side by side on the carcass. At this stage of her life, scavenging is the only thing keeping her alive.

While there was little to report on the hunting front from these usually exciting lionesses, four members of the Eyrefield Pride were found one morning on a freshly killed young zebra in Jakkalsdraai Open Area. This was consumed quickly, and the lions moved on again that morning.

Of particular concern is the fact that there were no sightings of the two cubs this game report period. This could be due to the continued presence of the two young nomadic lions on Flockfield (the ones missing an eye and half a tail, respectively) toward the end of the game report period. The mother lioness could merely have moved west off Mala Mala to avoid the young males, or alternatively, these young males may have killed the cubs. One hopes for the former.

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June 2006

EYREFIELD PRIDE = 8

1 ADULT FEMALE                                                     *12 YEARS 7 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE                                                     *12 YEARS 3 MONTH
1 ADULT FEMALE                                                     *7 YEARS 8 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE                                                     *5 YEARS 3 MONTH
2 ADULT FEMALES                                                   *4 YEARS 7 MONTHS
2 Cubs                                                                            *10 Weeks

Location: MALA MALA, FLOCKFIELD, CHARLESTON

The Eyrefield Pride had another strong month at Mala Mala and provided some fine viewing. At the start of this report period the pride was all seen together, with the old lioness seeming to be getting much stronger. The lions continued to be very active during the early morning and late afternoons, further enhancing their reputation as diurnal hunters.

Photographed by ranger Wesley Neuman

One memorable sighting of the Eyrefield Pride was when they spent the day attacking the large herd of buffalo. But without the muscle of a male lion they had little success and when they managed to isolate and surround a buffalo they were soon chased off by the herd which was alerted by the buffalo’s distress calls. Then a few days later the whole pride was found on a giraffe carcass. Indications are that the lions had chased the giraffe and killed it. The lions were harassed by a large clan of hyenas, which chased them off the kill, before the lions reclaimed the carcass back from the hyenas. Then later in the night the Selati Pride appeared at the carcass, and chased the Eyrefield Pride away. The only lioness that put up any resistance was the old lioness of the Eyrefield Pride, which was on the receiving end of a beating from the Selati Pride, but managed to stay at the kill for the day and fed with the other lions.

Photographs by ranger John Gold

But perhaps the highlight of the month for the Eyrefield Pride was the lactating lioness showing off her cubs. First seen at 7 weeks old, the two cubs are very comfortable with a single vehicle present. They have been moved frequently during the month, with the pride staying close at hand. By the end of the month the old female had again disappeared, and when last seen was not looking too well. As life comes to an end for one member of the pride, so another is just beginning and all looks well for this pride for the future.

Photographed by ranger Tim Gaunt

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May 2006

EYREFIELD PRIDE = 6

1 ADULT FEMALE                                                     *12 YEARS 6 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE                                                     * 12 YEARS 2 MONTH
1 ADULT FEMALE                                                     * 7 YEARS 7 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE                                                     *5 YEARS 2 MONTH
2 ADULT FEMALES                                                   *4 YEARS 6 MONTHS

Location: MALAMALA, FLOCKFIELD, CHARLESTON

Members of the Eyrefield Pride were seen on 16 different occasions and provided some very good viewing during May. The lactating lioness of the Eyrefield Pride, this the individual with the distinct nick in her ear, was often seen around the White Cloth and Styx Rock area, and is still lactating. She must have her cubs stashed in the donga systems between these two areas and the Matshapiri River , and was frequently seen going into and coming out of the thick bush here. No effort was made to follow her into these areas as the bush is very thick and terrain tricky, and with young cubs it is often best to allow them time and space to become accustomed to the vehicles. In any event these lions certainly provided some memorable sightings and great photographic opportunities, as they are a pride which hunt during the daylight.

Eyerfield Pride lionesses - Photographs by ranger Andrew Holley

On the 10th of May the whole pride was found on central Flockfield, not far from where the lactating female had been on her own the night before. They were active for most of the morning, playing with one another in the soft morning light as they headed towards the Sand River . Five days later the whole pride was seen together once more, the lactating female included. And for the rest of the month the pride stayed around Flockfield, hunting in the evening and early morning and patrolling their territory. The lactating female certainly seemed to be the catalyst for these hunts, and she would always leave the pride and head back towards the areas where she must have her cubs hidden. Then on the 18th of the month the old lioness that is not in the best condition was seen near the causeway on her own and looking very weak. She stayed in this area for the next two days, and spent most of her time sleeping. But she is a tough customer, and pulled through to end the month strongly when she was again seen with her pride on Flockfield looking well fed and much stronger than what she had been. So things are looking up for the Eyrefield Pride. The lionesses are all large and apart from the one old one are all in very good condition and are certainly eating well. All looks good for the Eyrefield Pride and it will certainly be interesting to see how this successful pride go about raising their young cubs on MalaMala again.

Eyrefield Pride - Photographed by ranger Ryan Beeton

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April 2006

EYREFIELD PRIDE = 6

1 ADULT FEMALE                                                     * 12 YEARS 5 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE                                                     * 12 YEARS 1 MONTH
1 ADULT FEMALE                                                     * 7 YEARS 6 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE                                                     * 5 YEARS 1 MONTH
2 ADULT FEMALES                                                   * 4 YEARS 5 MONTHS

Location: MALA MALA, FLOCKFIELD, CHARLESTON

This pride of lionesses continued their consolidation of central Mala Mala and northern Flockfield in April, with 17 sightings being recorded. In what was an action packed month, the Eyrefield Pride was seen to make several kills. In addition to this, the seven and a half year old lioness is believed to have cubs, probably stashed away in the Sand River below West Street Bridge or in the Styx Donga region. This lioness was heavily pregnant in the early parts of the game report period and towards the end of the month she was seen alone, with the rest of the pride only numbering five. This single mother was seen to take advantage of an elephant birth and was found eating the afterbirth of an elephant north of the Styx Donga. No doubt, this highly nutritious meal would have stood her in good stead with her own pregnancy and lactation period. Shortly after this, she was found alone on a sub adult kudu kill, which she is believed to have killed and consumed alone. So despite being alone, this lioness seems to be faring well and it is hoped that she will be successful in rearing her cubs. But as mentioned last month, this pride will have great difficulty in raising cubs without a stable male lion coalition controlling them. It is probable that one of the Split Rock Males is the father of these cubs. But, there is still tension between the Eyrefield Pride and these rulers of the north, as was displayed last month with the aggressive take over of two Eyrefield Pride kills. Time will tell as to the fate of these cubs.

As mentioned, these athletic lionesses were seen to make a number of kills in April. A young female impala was accounted for on the lower reaches of the Kapen River one night and did not go far amongst the five pride members. Later that same week, two young impala were killed in one attempt on Lion Loop. Shortly after the double success with the impala, a foolish young baboon, which was stupid enough to leave the safety of its tree as the lions approached, was caught. The unfortunate baboon was played with rather extravagantly before perishing and being devoured.

The Eyrefield Pride has a famous reputation as buffalo killers and there was great excitement when these six lionesses circled an old buffalo bull one morning near West Street Bridge . After circling the old buffalo, and testing his defences, the lions seemed to lose interest after an hour or so and the buffalo lived to fight another day. No doubt these lionesses missed the strength and support previously afforded to them when hunting buffalo by the Eyrefield Males, who incidentally, have made no signs of returning to Mala Mala this month.

Despite the successes of April the oldest lioness of this pride is looking considerably worse for wear, and has a number of nasty wounds developing at the base of her tail. She moves with difficulty, always lagging behind the pride on the move. After an illustrious life at Mala Mala, one wonders how much longer she will survive.

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March 2006

EYREFIELD PRIDE = 6

1 ADULT FEMALE                                                     * 12 YEARS 4 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE                                                     * 12 YEARS
1 ADULT FEMALE                                                     * 7 YEARS 5 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE                                                     * 5 YEARS
2 ADULT FEMALES                                                    * 4 YEARS 4 MONTHS

Location: MALA MALA, FLOCKFIELD, CHARLESTON

Regular readers of the game report will notice that the members of the Eyrefield Pride have been whittled down to just 6 members instead of 16 members. This is due to the absence of four lionesses for a very long time, as well as reports of the Eyrefield Males having become territorial west of Mala Mala. This pride has been very fragmented over the last two years since the death of the West Street Males and the rise of the Split Rock Males. Besides the lack of a strong stable male coalition controlling this pride, the presence of a high number of young males in the pride approaching maturity would not have created a stable environment in the pride. It has long been hypothesised that these young males would soon seek to become territorial, either further afield or in their father’s former territory on Mala Mala. Reports from the west of Mala Mala suggest that these males have established themselves there. The fact that none of these male lions have been seen in two months on Mala Mala suggests that this may be true. However, more time is required to tell if this is indeed so, as it is possible that these lions may return to Mala Mala in the near future. The absence of three of the older Eyrefield lionesses suggests that these old lionesses may have died. The young three-year-old lioness was last seen in very poor condition around the Mala Mala Main Camp a number of months ago, apparently having been mauled.

However, the six lionesses included in this report are generally in very good condition and appear to be operating as a stable, cohesive unit. These lionesses were seen together 17 times this game report period, more than any other pride of lions. They favoured the area around the New Airstrip again and were involved in two memorable sightings this month. These lions appear to making great use of the thick bush and abundant cover while hunting, and on most occasions appeared to be very well fed. They were seen to kill impala in the Princess Alice Bush area twice in the second half of the game report period.

The first memorable sighting involved them killing two impala south of the airstrip in broad daylight. No sooner had these impala been killed, than the Split Rock Males arrived on the scene. These males were already very well fed, but none the less, they chased the lionesses off the kills and finished what was left of the carcasses. The younger Split Rock Male again showed much aggression to these females, and roared repeatedly after chasing the females away. This shows that these lionesses are not totally under the control of the Split Rock Males, despite some members of this pride having mated with these males previously. Until a stable male coalition takes control of these six lionesses, it will be very difficult for them to raise cubs.

The second memorable sighting involved these lionesses having a clash with the Styx Pride. After spending the day south of West Street Bridge , the Eyrefield Pride started to move up the eastern bank of the Matshapiri River , straight on a collision course with the five young members of the Styx Pride, who had spent the day at Matshapiri Open Area. As mentioned earlier, the Styx Pride were somewhat fragmented towards the end of the game report period, and fortunately for the Eyrefield pride, they did not encounter the entire Styx Pride. When the two prides met, the Eyrefield Pride quickly gained the ascendancy and chased the young members of the Styx Pride north. This victory was reinforced with repeated roaring. The last time these two prides met, the Styx Pride clearly dominated. Perhaps this change of events is a sign of the times ahead for these six lionesses.

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February 2006

EYREFIELD PRIDE AND EYREFIELD MALES = 16

5 ADULT FEMALES (mostly between 11 years & 9 months and 12 years & 3 months)
1 ADULT FEMALE                                                * 7 YEARS 4 MONTH
1 ADULT MALE                                                     * 7 YEARS 4 MONTH
2 SUB-ADULT MALES                                          * 5 YEARS 1 MONTHS
1 SUB ADULT MALE                                             * 4 YEARS 11 MONTHS
1 ADULT FEMALE                                                 * 4 YEARS 11 MONTHS
4 SUB ADULTS (two males, two females)           * 4 YEARS 3 MONTHS
1 SUB-ADULT FEMALE                                        * 3 YEARS 0 MONTHS

Location: MALA MALA, FLOCKFIELD, CHARLESTON

None of the Eyrefield males were seen this month and only six lionesses of this pride were seen on ten occasions. Due to the high river levels, all sightings were on the western bank, and mainly around the area of the New Air Strip, suggesting that these lions have been stranded or reluctant at least to cross the river in its present state.

A group of 6 lionesses, consisting of the five young lionesses and one of the old lionesses, was followed on the hunt on many occasions. They were not successful in the presence of the vehicles but subsequent sightings of them when followed up on in the morning found them satiated, indicating that the New Air Strip hunting ground had provided for them once again. Again, the fragmented nature of this pride persisted and this continues to support the theory that the males of the Eyrefield Pride may be looking to establish themselves as territorial males further afield. While the Rollercoaster Males and the Split Rock Males are aging steadily, they will still prove to be a stern challenge for these young lions. As is often the case with territorial challenges, half the struggle may be psychological rather than physical.

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January 2006