MalaMala - The Wildlife

8 adult lionesses
1 sub adult female
2 sub adult males
4 approximately 30-month-old female cubs

Only five members of the Windmill Pride were seen this month and all sightings were way out of the expected area which this family typically stays in. The group of five was a motley crew - an ancient lioness in a state of emaciation and whose lower canines were mere stumps, an adult lioness, two of the 30-month-old lionesses and one of the young males. A more useless hunting party could hardly be expected - full of enthusiasm but little skill. Or so it seemed. The lions were first found along the middle parts of the Kapen River, about as far north as they are usually expected to travel (although they certainly have gone further for brief periods). Then, over the next ten days or so, the lions headed into the northeastern parts of Mala Mala, the areas burned in early September. Here they encountered few other lions - the Styx Pride had gone and other 'raiding' lion families were scarce and no doubt as wary of any other lions which they may have encountered.

They also found plenty of animals, but faced the frustrating task of catching their food from the great herds of alert animals inhabiting an area where cover was not really very good. At one stage the lions were all rake-thin and the old lioness was looking particularly skeletal. One particularly frustrating day for the lions happened when they found themselves amongst a great herd of impala and zebra. This was early in the morning and the lions resisted the temptation of running in. They waited the whole day before starting towards their prey. But they should have waited just a fraction longer until it was just a little bit darker. Before they could strike from a not quite perfectly executed flanking manoeuvre, the lions were seen and the prey animals were off, snorting and crashing through the rocks and bushes. The sound of probably five hundred impala and a dozen or so zebra was quite something and all the lions could do was stand and watch as their supper vanished. But they had two lucky breaks. The first was that four young male lions lying not far from where all of this had taken place failed to come over and investigate what was going on and, secondly, they persisted and the following day were found with the remains of a nearly adult zebra. They had apparently followed the zebra for many kilometres and caught it in thick brush. Another stroke of luck was that this kill was not taken from them by two of the West Street Males which were at the time busy following the large herd of buffalo only a short distance away. For hungry lions, a series of fortunate events such as these could in fact make the difference between life and death. From then on things seemed to go better and although this small party of Windmill Pride lions were not seen to kill anything else - apart from a tortoise - they remained in good condition.

At the last sighting of the Windmill Pride this month, they were enthusiastically advancing upon a herd of impala (which were actually aware of their presence) when a herd of elephants arrived on the scene, took exception to the lions and chased them away. The lions managed to retreat with some dignity. But, one wonders, why this strange raiding party? Why would these lions of the Windmill Pride move so far and why in such a group? Were the adult females the teachers and taking them far out in order to preserve their territories resources for a more important time ahead - young cubs perhaps? Who knows?

8 adult lionesses
1 sub adult female
2 sub adult males
4 approximately 29-month-old female cubs

There were several sightings of various members of the Windmill Pride this month, the largest gathering of these being one of 8 lions. Unlike their behaviour in the past when the pride really seemed to stay together, sightings this month indicated fragmentation, this perhaps in response to the availability of prey animals. For a large family of lions to stay together, they would need to kill large animals such as zebra, giraffe and buffalo on a regular basis, but if these were temporarily unavailable and smaller-sized prey was what they were forced to hunt, then it would make little sense for them to stick together. When the group of eight members of the Windmill Pride were seen together, they were all very fat, evidently the result of some or other big meal. The other reason for the lions splitting up would also be cubs - some of the lionesses may have recently given birth to cubs and these would have very different food requirements to the older members, resulting in at least a temporary separation of the pride.

October 2001

8 adult lionesses
1 sub adult female
2 sub adult males
4 approximately 28-month-old female cubs

Location: EASTERN MALA MALA/ EASTERN FLOCKFIELD/ CENTRAL CHARLESTON
(Not seen this month)

September 2001

8 adult lionesses
1 sub adult female
2 sub adult males
4 approximately 27-month-old female cubs

Location: EASTERN MALA MALA/ EASTERN FLOCKFIELD/ CENTRAL CHARLESTON
(Not seen this month)

August 2001

8 adult lionesses
1 sub adult female
2 sub adult males
4 approximately 26-month-old female cubs

July 2001

8 adult lionesses
1 sub adult female
2 sub adult males
4 approximately 25-month-old female cubs

Sightings of the Windmill Pride this month were mostly towards the beginning as they first hunted the south-central areas and then made their way north and east, finally moving into the Kruger National Park. Not all members of the pride were seen, the largest gathering being one of 11 - 9 lionesses (including some of the 2-year-olds) and 2 young males. These lions really do seem to hunt in a different manner to some of the other lions known on the reserve. Perhaps its because the family is so big and needs to concentrate on the large prey species such as zebra, giraffe, kudu and buffalo which are usually less frequently encountered than the smaller species such as impala. Anyway, the Windmill Pride always moves with extreme caution. They seem to head out with purpose, but then, when something is detected, everything waits. It's as if they know that when a target is in the area, mistakes must be minimised and there should be no haste at all. There is little of the rapid circle and rush tactics employed by some of the other families of lions and consequently much patience will be needed if dedicated action is to be seen from the Windmill Pride. Their acceptance of conserving energy was further shown this month when the pride was fast asleep one late afternoon and a young female leopard walked into them. The leopard saw them before they did and, perhaps not knowing just how far she had walked into the scattered lions, she made a panic-stricken run towards a tree, the natural avenue of escape for a leopard. The noise of the leopard crashing through the brush alerted the lions, but when they saw her secure in the tree, they paid her little further attention, even when they walked off for the start of the nights activities, they merely bypassed the tree. It was almost as if they accepted that any attempts to dislodge her (after all, they all compete for the same animals) would simply be energy wasted from a very finite pool. Most pragmatic carnivores - or so it seems.

June 2001

8 adult lionesses
1 sub adult female
1 sub adult male
4 approximately 24-month-old female cubs

Location: EASTERN MALA MALA/ FLOCKFIELD/ CENTRAL CHARLESTON

There were several sightings of a group of 11 members of the Windmill Pride during June, these mostly on the central and southern parts of the reserve. The lions made a brief foray northward, reaching as far as the Matshapiri River before heading east towards the Kruger National Park and then back south again. With the Styx Pride all but absent from the regions of the Matshapiri River, this area must be attractive to others. Anyway, the Windmill Pride was certainly active on the Charleston area of Mala Mala, seemingly spending a great deal of time off the roads and deep in the bush. Consequently they were probably present more often than sightings suggested. A maximum of 9 lionesses was present, this including the 2-year-olds. Both sub-adult males seen with the pride were almost certainly from the family but, which in their state of transition towards independence have made a temporary return. There were no sightings of the three lionesses and adult male which were encountered so frequently last month. The male may well have been chased from the area and the lionesses could have followed, perhaps permanently splitting from the others - time will tell. As with all lion prides, the Windmill Pride has unique patterns of behaviour. Following them hunting can prove frustrating as their extremely cautious approach as they move through the bush really tests ones patience. But for lions of such a large coalition, they cannot afford to make too many mistakes, particularly at a time of year when many of the bulk grazers such as buffalo and zebra are dispersed and more difficult to locate - they simply must increase the chances of their success when hunting. Also, any hunts which fail and alert the prey in the area that a huge pride of lions is around will force them to vacate the area and so compound problems. The Windmill Pride has thus adopted a hunting approach to suit the circumstances, these encompassing their social status, the prey type and abundance as well as other general environmental factors.

May 2001

8 adult lionesses
1 sub adult female
1 sub adult male
4 approximately 23-month-old female cubs

There were at least a dozen sightings of members of the Windmill Pride during May, but these only of a small part of this large family. The vast majority of the lionesses were not seen and perhaps spent the month inside the Kruger National Park. The lionesses of the Windmill Pride encountered this month comprised two adults and one of the nearly 2-year-olds. Most sightings were of them in the company of an adult male lion. When this male was first seen with them, the lionesses made it clear that they were somewhat apprehensive of his presence. From this male lion's point of view, he was also keeping a respectful distance. It is thought that the lion was part of a trio which last month arrived in the northern parts of Mala Mala where, after spending a few days harassing the large herd of buffalo, were chased away by the Mlowathi Males, the coalition of male lions dominant in this area. The attitude of the Windmill Pride lionesses towards this male was somewhat more relaxed later on in the month when, over a period of at least four days, they shared a giraffe kill with him. Just what will eventually happen when the other members of the pride rejoin with this group can only be speculated at. A single male lion will almost certainly have great difficulty in dominating such a large group and it may well be that his tenure will be but temporary.

April 2001

8 adult lionesses
1 sub adult female
1 sub adult male
4 approximately 22-month-old female cubs

Sightings of the Windmill Pride this month reflected their pattern of behaviour described over the last few months, with there being only small

groupings of the various lions seen at any one time and none of the entire pride together. Just how they decide which groupings should be formed and how they effectively keep in contact with one another is difficult to say. There was one sighting during April of all four of the nearly 2-year-old lionesses together, but this was the only one. Over the last few months there have been no sightings of any male lions associated with the Windmill Pride and they have been pretty much avoiding any contact with the West Street Males and Golf Course Males, the two coalitions which their usual movements would most likely bring them into contact with. However, towards the end of April, a single adult male lion made an appearance, perhaps from a grouping of three which had been chased off from the north of the reserve by the three Mlowathi Males. The small group of lionesses of the Windmill Pride which he made contact with were not keen on him and their nervousness was quite apparent. However, he appeared to be in no hurry to force himself upon them, and was trailing them at a distance. With no coalition of males in the area and an availability of lionesses, temptation to move in would exist. This could well occur and if not challenged by the Golf Course Males, could give the Windmill Pride a degree of security so far denied to them in this area. It would also put pressure on the Charleston Pride, giving them less incentive to reoccupy this land which was once theirs.

March 2001

8 adult lionesses
1 sub adult female
1 sub adult male
4 approximately 21-month- old female cubs

There were several sightings of members of the Windmill Pride this month, but none of all 14. The largest gathering seen was one of 10 and this included the young male, two of the nearly 2-year-old females and 7 lionesses. It is not certain what has happened to the other four members. If the two other 'almost 2-year-olds' are with them, then it is doubtful that they are away looking after small cubs.

Given past experiences with this pride, it is not really like them to split up for long periods of time. But, like all lions, if they want to survive they need to be flexible and change as circumstances change. Movements of prey animals, particularly large animals such as zebra and wildebeest, are such that the numbers in the central-eastern parts of the reserve do not appear very high. These animals move from area to area depending upon factors such as grazing, water availability, predators etc. As a large group of lions moving together, the Windmill Pride would certainly require frequent contact with such animals if they are to get enough to eat, so perhaps this relative scarcity in their territory has forced them to adapt slightly. This may also be the reason why one of the sightings of this family was of them on the banks of the Matshapiri River, this far to the north of their usual haunts. Their movements may also have been influenced by the fact that the four lionesses of the Charleston Pride spent, relative to the last few months, a great amount of time on the southern parts of the reserve north of the bend in the Sand River. This may well have caused the Windmill Pride to act with caution.

There was certainly one instance in March whilst these lions were being followed hunting when they suddenly stopped what was initially an apparently dedicated chase after some zebra and were seen to cautiously test the air. The night prior to this the four lionesses of the Charleston Pride had been found only a kilometre or two further south and it may well have been these which the Windmill Pride had sensed. Two of the highlights this month involving the Windmill Pride saw them killing a young wildebeest and then, towards the middle of the month, a young kudu. The last mentioned kill occurred during a vicious thunderstorm when 10 members of the pride bumped into the unfortunate kudu as they were seeking shelter in a gully system - a group of kudus also happened to be sheltering in the area and failed to see the lions.

February 2001

8 adult lionesses
1 sub adult female
1 sub adult male
4 approximately 20-month- old female cubs

Encounters with the Windmill Pride were few and spanned this game-report period. It is highly likely that they were present on the reserve more frequently than sightings suggest, this simply due to the fairly remote area in which they typically stay and also due to other restrictions such as a flooded Sand River which would limit access to the area. As with some of the other lion families known to Mala Mala, the Windmill Pride presently appears to be functioning in a relatively fragmented manner, although at one sighting 7 of the expected 8 adult lionesses were encountered. It is not known how many of the sub-adult lionesses are still alive; a maximum of one was seen on any single occasion. At one sighting when a small group of these lionesses was found, a young warthog had the misfortune of stumbling into them and was killed and eaten in mere minutes.

January 2001

8 adult lionesses
1 sub adult female
1 sub adult male
4 approximately 20-month- old female cubs

There were no confirmed encounters with any members of the Windmill Pride, only two of some lions which may have been of this family. As was noticed this month with most of the other lion families of the area, the Windmill Pride may well be operating on a fragmented basis.

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