| SUB-ADULT EYREFIELD MALES
April 2013 NOMADIC MALES The young males from the Eyrefield were seen twice. They were found on a kudu kill to the south of Beaumont’s Camp. The males remained in the area of the kill for two days. This sighting took place at the beginning of the month. Since then, there have been no confirmed sightings of them. The month’s reports indicate that the two males have frequently been seen to the south of our boundary and have mated with Selati pride. March 2013 NOMADIC MALES Although there were no confirmed sightings of these two males for the month, they have been very active south of our boundary. There are attempting to overthrow the Kruger male lion. By doing this, they will earn his territory and should be able to take over the Selati Pride. February 2013 NOMADIC MALES There is no doubt that these males are coming of age and looking for territory of their own. They have been spending time in the western sector, asserting dominance and preying on large game. Reports suggest that on one occasion they ventured south, potentially seeking out the Selati pride. A showdown was anticipated between these males and the Kruger male. Then, the Kruger male was able to easily intimidate the nomads from a giraffe kill. This shows that the males are not quite ‘ready’ but their confrontations with the Kruger male, and with others, are certainly not over. The two males were seen resting in the Tjellahanga River, fit and healthy. We have not seen them for some time and they are looking very impressive indeed. January 2013 NOMADIC MALES These nomads were not seen during the period. Reports would suggest that they have been spending time in the western Sabi Sands. December 2012 NOMADIC
Only the one sighting of these lions during the period but it proved to be a very notable one! In previous reports were have suggested that it is time for these males to make their marks or else it would be unlikely that they are ever to become dominant over a pride. Well it seems that making a mark has been exactly what they have decided to do. One morning we followed tracks of three male lions in southern Charleston around Jakkalsdraai Open Area. After some hard work we found the lions. These two nomadic lions were resting and unbeknown to them, a Manyelethi male had been trailing after them and was watching them from a distance. It was the Manyelethi male with the scarred hip who had taken it upon himself to track down these intruders and warn them off. The male from the Marthly pride was the first to notice the Manyelethi male. Both of the nomads took off, with the Manyelethi male chasing the Eyrefield male with great purpose. We lost the lions as they made way through some dense bush. Ten minutes later we found the trio again. The Manyelethi male must have been satisfied he had chased the males far enough and when he reached the Tjellahanga River, he turned and began to saunter casually back north. Meanwhile the Marthly male had decided he was not going to be dominated and he followed the Manyelethi male from behind, roaring aggressively as he went. This was a dramatic tactic from the nomadic lion and it is a sure sign that he is growing in confidence. This is certainly not going to be last encounter between the nomads and the Manyelethi males. The dominant foursome is not by the slightest under threat from these two up-and-coming males, but the brothers could be potentially vulnerable if they are caught alone and without any brother as company. The male from the Marthly pride is similarly aged to the Manyelethi males and is a large lion. He could definitely induce some damage if he could fight one on one. November 2012 NOMADIC These nomadic males were seen on three occasions this month, all in the southern reaches of the property. They are in good condition which is good news, and both look fully fit which has not always been the case. The male from the Marthly pride looks as magnificent as ever and is surely in his prime by now. The chances of these males ever becoming dominant over a pride do not look promising and they may have to disperse to new areas should they ever wish to do so. September & October 2012 SUB ADULT MALES FROM THE EYREFIELD PRIDE = 2 Just two sightings of these males in the month of October. They were both extremely well fed and had been attracted to the area by a large herd of buffalo. They msut have had success in catching one and we found them near the Windmill where they hardly moved for two days. These two males have been spending time in the south along with many other male lions that are new to the area. The male from the Marthly pride is now in his prime and sports a tremendous mane, quite different to the male from the Eyrefield pride that still has some way to go in that department. Both lions are fit and the Marthly male seems to have shrugged off the limp he had in July and August. August 2012 SUB ADULT MALES FROM THE EYREFIELD PRIDE = 2 The movements of these two males was similar to what we have seen over the past few months. They have been spending most of their time following a large herd of buffalo throughout Charleston. The male from the Marthly Pride has had difficulty hunting since he has had a limp. This has no doubt limited their hunting success and we are not certain that they managed to kill any buffalo this month. There are some interesting lion politics at play in southern Charleston. One of the KNP male lions is missing, and these two boys have been spending more time in that area, even roaring on occasion! Who knows how things might unfold. Is it a possibility that this duo could compete against the remaining KNP male and take- over the Charleston and Selati Prides? July 2012 SUB ADULT MALES FROM THE EYREFIELD PRIDE = 2 (3 sightings) These two nomadic young males continue to wander around the southern parts of MalaMala. This month saw them have a brief reunion with three members of their former pride. It’s been over a year since we’ve seen these animals together. We found the males on the eastern bank of the Sand River, north of Beaumont’s hippo pools, where they were staring intently southwards at something in the reeds. A sudden burst of legs and necks revealed several giraffe running eastwards, with three lionesses in hot pursuit. After a brief chase, the lionesses realised they didn’t stand a chance with their taller-than-usual prey, and lost interest. At this point we had not identified the three lionesses that the two males we looking at with such curiosity. The lionesses advanced, and the males didn’t move. This continued for over an hour and into the early hours of the evening as darkness fell. Always submissive as they continued moving closer, it became clear that the lionesses were none other than the three young Eyrefield lionesses – the sisters and cousins of the younger of the two males. When the two lions were a mere five metres apart, the male from the Marthly pride stood up and advanced towards them. The sheer size of him and his unfamiliarity due to a few years’ of absence, caused the one lioness to lose her nerve, and she retreated. As with any animal, especially males trying to be dominant, when ground is given, ground must be taken. The lionesses increased their speed to a jog and so did the males, who by this stage were approaching River road and still looking to go northwards. Male lions generally tire more easily than females, and the two young brutes soon lost interest just to the north of Charleston North. The the lionesses continued northwards along river road, and the males stood catching their breath after the mere few hundred-metre jog! June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 SUB-ADULT MALES FROM THE EYREFIELD PRIDE = 3 MalaMala
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