December 2005
SELATI PRIDE = 15
3 ADULT FEMALES
2 LIONESSES * 5 YEARS 1 MONTHS
3 SUB-ADULTS *
36 MONTHS
2 SUB-ADULTS *
34 MONTHS
1 CUB *
30 MONTHS
2 CUBS *
26 MONTHS
2 CUBS
Location: TOULON , CHARLESTON
This pride was seen on seven occasions during this game report period and provided good hunting action and much entertainment on each occasion. They were seen catching an adult female wildebeest and it was still evident that it is the adult females who are responsible for most of the major hunting responsibilities. On another occasion the pride was seen to catch and dismember a young impala within seconds while on the other occasion the younger members of the pride caught and killed a young side striped jackal. Some aggressive behaviour was witnessed between members of this pride and the Rollercoaster males as well as the Eyrefield males suggesting some hard times lie ahead for the young males of the Selati pride.
November 2005
SELATI PRIDE = 15
3 ADULT FEMALES
2
LIONESSES *
5 YEARS 0 MONTHS
3
SUB-ADULTS * 35 MONTHS
2
SUB-ADULTS * 33 MONTHS
1
CUB * 29 MONTHS
2
CUBS *
25 MONTHS
2
CUBS
Location: TOULON , CHARLESTON
There were just three sightings of the Selati Pride in November, and all of these were of the sub-group of 9 individuals, comprising two adult females, 4 sub-adult females and three sub-adult males. The sub-adult males took a bit of punishment at the hands of the Eyrefield Males on one occasion, but emerged with no major casualties.October 2005
SELATI PRIDE = 15
3 ADULT FEMALES
2 LIONESSES *
4 YEARS 11 MONTHS
3 SUB-ADULTS * 34 MONTHS
2 SUB-ADULTS *
32 MONTHS
1 CUB *
28 MONTHS
2 CUBS * 24 MONTHS
2 CUBS
Location: TOULON , CHARLESTON
Rather surprisingly, there were no sightings at all of any Selati Pride members on Mala Mala Game Reserve in October. With the Rollercoaster Males spending some time on the property again, one might have expected to see the Selati Pride a few times on Toulon .
September 2005
SELATI PRIDE = 15
3 ADULT FEMALES
2 LIONESSES * 4 YEARS 10 MONTHS
3 SUB-ADULTS * 33 MONTHS
2 SUB-ADULTS *
31 MONTHS
1 CUB *
27 MONTHS
2 CUBS * 23 MONTHS
2 CUBS
Location: TOULON , CHARLESTON
With the surprise return of the three Rollercoaster Males to Toulon , the Selati Pride (under the control of this coalition of males) spent a little more time on the property in September. Only nine members of the pride were seen, these being two adult lionesses and seven sub-adult youngsters (three males, four females). On one occasion, these lions killed a buffalo bull on central Charleston , and the weakest of the Rollercoaster Males joined them on this feast. A couple of weeks later, the Selati Pride members were seen to kill an impala, after they had been followed on the hunt in the evening.
August 2005
SELATI PRIDE = 15
3
ADULT FEMALES
2 LIONESSES * 4 YEARS 9 MONTHS
3 SUB-ADULTS *
32 MONTHS
2 SUB-ADULTS * 30 MONTHS
1 CUB *
26 MONTHS
2
CUBS *
22 MONTHS
2 CUBS
Location: TOULON
There were only three sightings of the Selati Pride, and this pride has lost at least one member. One of the sub-adult males was reportedly killed by the Eyrefield Males on a property to the west of Toulon . It could be that two of the lions have been killed, because only 14 were seen in total, five in one group (usually six) and nine in the other (ten before one young male was killed).
The five members of the pride that were seen, once, were feeding on a freshly killed young giraffe on south-western Toulon, and the other nine (seen on two occasions) were hunting giraffe on one morning.
July 2005
SELATI PRIDE = 16
3 ADULT FEMALES
2 LIONESSES
* 4 YEARS 8 MONTHS
3 SUB-ADULTS
* 31 MONTHS
3 SUB-ADULTS * 29 MONTHS
1 CUB
*
25 MONTHS
2 CUBS
*
21 MONTHS
2 CUBS
Location: TOULON
There were only two sightings of the Selati Pride in July, and these were sightings of the 2 lionesses and eight youngsters (although on the first occasion only 7 of the youngsters were present). The other sub-group of the pride, comprising 3 females and 3 youngsters, was not seen at all. The Selati Pride members are probably spending most of their time to the south and west of our boundaries, largely due to the strong presence of the Eyrefield Males on the southern parts of the reserve. The Rollercoaster Males (fathers of the Selati Pride youngsters) have disappeared from the area, and could well be dead.
June 2005
SELATI PRIDE = 16
3 ADULT FEMALES
2 LIONESSES
* 4 YEARS 7 MONTHS
3 SUB-ADULTS
* 30 MONTHS
3 SUB-ADULTS * 28 MONTHS
1 CUB
*
24 MONTHS
2 CUBS
*
20 MONTHS
2 CUBS
Location: TOULON
Once again, there were not many sightings of the Selati Pride, and these sightings all involved the larger sub-group of the pride, comprising two adult lionesses and eight youngsters. Early in the month, they were seen hunting and killed two warthogs. Warthog kills are never pleasant to witness, as the victims tend to take a while to die, and their distress calls can be quite heart-wrenching. Later in the month, these same ten lions were found devouring an impala, on the western part of Toulon. This carcass, of course, did not last long.
May 2005
SELATI PRIDE = 16
3 ADULT FEMALES
2 LIONESSES
* 4 YEARS 6 MONTHS
3 SUB-ADULTS *
29 MONTHS
3 SUB-ADULTS *
27 MONTHS
1 CUB
*
23 MONTHS
2 CUBS
* 19 MONTHS
2 CUBS
Location: TOULON
There were no sightings of any of the Selati Pride members in May. The disappearance of the Rollercoaster Males, and the strong presence of the Eyrefield Pride and Eyrefield Males in the south of the reserve, has probably influenced the Selati Pride to seek refuge further south and west, beyond Mala Mala’s limits.
April 2005
SELATI PRIDE = 16
3 ADULT FEMALES
2 LIONESSES
* 4 YEARS 5 MONTHS
3 SUB-ADULTS *
28 MONTHS
3 SUB-ADULTS *
26 MONTHS
1 CUB
*
22 MONTHS
2 CUBS
*
18 MONTHS
2 CUBS
Location: TOULON
Members of the Selati Pride were seen on only two days, right at the end of the game report period. It will be remembered that the pride has been operating as two units, the one consisting of three lionesses and three youngsters, and the other of two lionesses and 8 youngsters. It was the first (smaller) group that was seen in late April, and they were hunting impala on western Toulon in the evening. The three youngsters were accompanied by just two adult lionesses on this occasion. Great drama unfolded when no fewer than twelve hyenas appeared on the scene, and advanced menacingly on the lions. Such a large pack of hyenas can be a real threat to a small pride of lions, and soon the lions were in trouble, with the noisy, confident hyenas closing in on them and attacking them viciously. One lioness and the three youngsters managed to scramble up the branches of a fairly small umbrella thorn tree, but the other lioness did not make it in time, and was savagely mauled at the base of the tree. She defended herself valiantly, but was hopelessly outgunned, and it was inevitable that she was going to be seriously injured. This went on for a good forty five minutes, before the hyenas left her. The rest of the lions were helpless, and could do nothing but look on from their precarious position amid the thorny branches. The injured lioness was seen the next day, not far from where the attack had taken place, still looking miserable and badly mauled, but very much alive.
March 2005
SELATI PRIDE = 16
3 ADULT FEMALES
2 LIONESSES *
4 YEARS 4 MONTHS
3 SUB-ADULTS *
27 MONTHS
3 SUB-ADULTS *
25 MONTHS
1 CUB
*
21 MONTHS
2 CUBS
* 17 MONTHS
2 CUBS
Location: TOULON
All members of the Selati Pride were again encountered in March. For a long time, the pride has been operating as two sub-groups, the one sub-group consisting of three lionesses and three youngsters, and the other sub-group comprising two lionesses and eight youngsters. For the first time in a long while, however, these two sub-groups were seen to come together one evening. It is likely that they have been coming into contact with each other from time to time, but to see the reunion take place was quite special for those fortunate enough to be present. By the next day, the two sub-groups had gone their separate ways again.
February 2005
SELATI PRIDE = 16
3 ADULT FEMALES
2 LIONESSES *
4 YEARS 3 MONTHS
3 SUB-ADULTS *
26 MONTHS
3 SUB-ADULTS *
24 MONTHS
1 CUB *
20 MONTHS
2 CUBS *
16 MONTHS
2 CUBS
Location: TOULON
February was a quiet month for the Selati Pride, in terms of sightings on this property. On one occasion, three lionesses and three youngsters were seen together, and they were seen to kill a male impala. There was only one other sighting of members of this pride, and that was of just the three lionesses. The two females and eight youngsters that normally travel separately from the rest of the pride were not seen at all during this game report period.
January 2005
SELATI PRIDE =
16
3 ADULT FEMALES
2 LIONESSES *
4 YEARS 2 MONTHS
3 SUB-ADULTS *
25 MONTHS
3 SUB-ADULTS *
23 MONTHS
1 CUB *
19 MONTHS
2 CUBS *
15 MONTHS
2 CUBS
Location: TOULON
Surprisingly, there were only two sightings of the Selati Pride in January. Both of these sightings were on western Toulon, and they were sightings of the two females with eight youngsters. The other three lionesses and three youngsters were not seen. Perhaps their absence can be explained by the presence of the Eyrefield Males in the area, and the fact that the Rollercoaster Males were not seen in January is also a likely contributing factor. If the Rollercoaster Males are indeed in the process of decline, difficult times lie ahead for the Selati Pride.
On both occasions when they were seen, the Selati Pride members were feeding on kills – a bushbuck and an impala.
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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