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Ranger’s Blog

A Safari With Soul
28 Nov
0

Lions of Tintswalo: The Buffalo Are Back!

The summer rains have arrived, the plains are beginning to burst with grass, and that means one important thing: the big herds of buffalo are moving into the area, and it’s going to be an interesting time for the legendary buffalo hunters of the Manyeleti. As we’ve written before, the Lions of Tintswalo are renowned for their ability to bring down big buffaloes in dramatic showdowns that display their immense strength, strategy and resilience. Now, with the green shoots appearing on the plains, the buffalo are back and we are preparing for some exhilarating sightings in the months to come....
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13 Nov
0

Remarkable Sighting: Hyenas Battle Cheetah Over Impala Kill

As rangers and trackers, we spend many hours a day in the bush, every day. And sometimes you think you have seen it all. But it’s days like this that show the African bush is always full of surprises, and you can never predict what you are going to encounter. My guests and I were sitting in the vehicle, enjoying a sighting of Nompethu leopardess. These particular guests had never been to Africa before, and they were loving the special sighting, when our tracker, Wise, heard the distinctive alarm calls of impala not too far from where we were. We...
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7 Jun
0

The Lions of Tintswalo: The Drama Continues

As always, the lions’ dynamics at Tintswalo are like a great soap opera unfolding in the greater Kruger National Park wilderness. Just as you think you are on top of the story, something else changes—a new male lion, a new set of cubs—that upsets the equilibrium, causing a ripple effect through the reserve. In order to best understand the current situation, let’s lay out the latest summary of all the resident lions in the Manyeleti and how they are living together in the Greater Kruger National Park. A while back, we wrote an introduction to the Lions of Tintswalo which...
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14 May
0

50 Vultures Swoop Down on Cheetah Kill near the Kruger National Park

Two cheetah brothers had just made a kill not far from Tintswalo—our luxury safari lodge near the Kruger National Park—and we could see the vultures circling and descending down into the bush. As we arrived on the scene, the first vultures were already dotting down near the carcass. Their mischievous, bald heads stuck out the grass, as they eyed out the fresh meat. We spent about 45 minutes watching the brothers tuck into the kill, and soon there were close to 50 vultures milling around. We could see the cheetahs were on edge. Other predators often watch vultures circling, as this leads...
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5 Feb
0
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Tintswalo’s Legendary Buffalo Hunters

At Tintswalo, we are fortunate to experience some of the most spectacular displays of lion hunting in Africa. It’s true that lions hunt buffalo in many reserves in Africa, but in the Manyeleti they seem to take this unique and impressive skill to the next level! One of our resident prides, the Mbiri Pride (made up of 5 lionesses) are particularly effective buffalo hunters. As guides, we’ve seen the Mbiri lions hunt in the daytime and at night, open areas, thick woodland and in rivereen. All over! They are masters of the chase, and for them, it’s all about the...
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17 Nov
0

A Tribute to Sizanani – Tintswalo’s Legendary Lion King

It was a sad day last month when we learned of the passing of Tintswalo’s most magnificent male lion—Sizanani. One of our rangers, Christof Schoeman, described Sizanani as a ‘True Survivor’ for his amazing ability to somehow come out on top, despite all odds. At Tintswalo, he also gained the nickname “Phantom”, because he would sometimes disappear for long periods of time—everyone would presume he was dead—and then almost miraculously appear back in the Manyeleti to stake his claim once again. He was a tidal force in the greater Kruger National Park area, with a territory that fluctuated between the...
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20 Oct
0

The Lions of Tintswalo: An Introduction

What would the African bush be without lions? These large, magnificent felines take up such a prominent position in the chain of life in the wilderness; with their close-knit prides dominating the savannah; and their loud territorial roars echoing in the night. Lions are the only social felines on earth. All the other wild cats—leopards, cheetahs and servals—are solitary hunters, preferring to make themselves as scarce as possible, hunting silently in the dead of night, and only connecting with others of their kind to mate and rear their young. Lions, on the other hand, thrive in numbers. They form tight social...
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7 Jun
1

Tintswalo Ranger Diary – April Update

The Lions of Tintswalo Mbiri pride We had two sightings of the Mbiri’s in the three days. They were first found with the Thanda Impi males at Vulture pan, in the eastern part of their territory. Two days later we again found the Mbiri’s, but this time in the extreme western part of the territory, tho the west of Sable bridge. They had killed an Adult bull Wildebeest, and had the cubs at the kill as well. The cubs naturally treated the dead Wildebeest both as food and as a toy. As the sun started to burn the Gabbro plains,...
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4 Jun
0

Where to now for the Northern Manyeleti male Leopards?

It was February 2013, when we first saw a young male Leopard that would the leopard dynamics in the northern Manyeleti. Up until that point, we had the Beacon male leopard controlling a massive territory. One day we’d see him up in the northern parts of his territory on Vulture pan, and the next morning he was close to the lodge. When Rhulani first arrived, we started noticing that Beacon was spending more and more time in the north as well. Slowly but surely, they started occupying the same area’s and we knew a massive showdown was looming. And in...
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3 Jun
3

March 28-30 2017

Lions   Mbiri pride and Thanda impi males   The Thanda Impi male Lions have continued to stay with the Mbiri pride and were found with the Mbiri’s at New pump on the afternoon of the 28th. The Skorro male had the love interest of one of the younger females, and we witnessed them mating on several occasions. On the afternoon of the 29th, we found one of the older Lionesses, alone at Lomfane pan. She was calling to the rest of the pride, who were seen the same afternoon on Nyathi drive, with the cubs present. You have to...
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29 May
0

25-26 March 2017

Lion   Mbiri pride   The Mbiri were relatively scarce over the two days, only being seen once. They were found at Sable bridge on the morning of the 25th, and moved with the cubs into the drainage line to the east. This remains a favorite for the Mbiri’s, as far as hiding the cubs goes, their fortress! Further than that it seems as if they are just waiting for the memories of the Southern matimba foray into their territory to fade.   Nharhu pride   The Nharhu pride were again found in the area to the south of the...
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26 May
0

23-24 March 2017

Lions   Mbiri pride and Thanda Impi males   Both the Mbiri pride and Thanda Impi male Lions have continued to stay in the area around Old Pump. On the morning of the 23rd, we found them with a Buffalo kill. There was a fair amount of competition, particularly between the two males. It seems that after dealing with the Matimba threat, their coalition is under a bit of strain and they’re lashing out at one another. The rest of the pride just continued feeding, but more squabbles almost as vicious as the big males, also continued to break out...
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23 May
0

21-22 March 2017

Lion   Mbiri pride and Thanda Impi male Lions The Mbiri’s spent the 2 days in exactly the same place, on the western side of Old Pump open area. All seven of the cubs are still looking very good and healthy. They spent the afternoon of the 21st with the Thanda Impi male Lions, who are still staying with the pride after all the unrest of the last month, caused by the Matimba male Lions. The Lionesses seem to be leaving the cubs in the drainage line with the males, while they go off hunting, mostly to the south. This...
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21 May
0

1-4 March 2017

Lions   Mbiri pride   We had two sightings of the Mbiri pride over the 4 days. On the afternoon of the 2nd, they were found close to mantobeni pan and moved north towards old pump. A large Buffalo herd had assembled at the pans and they started half heartedly stalking the Buffalo. After a while, they came to rest in the open area. The second sighting was the next morning, to the west of Sable bridge. The cubs were happily suckling, and the females seemed quite content. They are still moving around the northern parts of the heart of...
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15 May
0

27-28 February 2017

Lions   Mbiri pride     The Mbiri pride stayed north, out of the reach of the Matimba males and moved the cubs into the drainage line on catwalk west. We had 2 sightings of the pride over the 2 days, and both within a very close proximity to each other. The cubs were hidden in the deep, thick riverine bush and seem to be safe for now anyway. How far north the Mbiri’s decide to move is going to be interesting, because of the threat of the Avoca males further north, in what was the northern parts of Mbiri...
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17 Apr
4

21-22 February 2017

Lion   Mbiri pride   We only had the one Lion sighting over the 2 days. And low and behold, it was the Mbiri pride! The were found moving from Buffalo plains, towards the Zebra pan area, and the indications were that they had probably made a kill, somewhere on the expanse of Buffalo plains. The pride seems to be doing incredibly well, but we are still concerned with the southern Matimba’s in the area.   Leopard   Ntsuntsu female Leopard     We also had one sighting of what is becoming our “safari queen of the north”, the young...
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15 Apr
0

19-20 February 2017

Lion   Mbiri pride     We only had one sighting of one of the young Lionesses over the 2 days. She was found with the Skorro Thanda Impi male Lion close to Zebra pan. She then moved to the north, and towards where the 3 very young cubs were seen, at Konkoni quarry. She eventually settled at the quarry, and didn’t go into the drainage line to the east. I believe that she still wasn’t feeling comfortable with the males being that close to the cubs, when they were still so young. The appearance of the southern Matimba’s is a...
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31 Mar
0

February 11-12 2017

Lions   Mbiri pride   The Mbiri pride continued to stay very close to the denning area that they had chosen, close to Zebra pan. On the morning of the 11th, we had a beautiful sighting of the 7 cubs playing in the open, before the females moved into the thickets close to the drainage line. We did also discover another 3 smaller cubs, deeper in the drainage area. We are however a little concerned about the return of the southern Matimba male Lions to the area, and they are alarmingly close to the denning area. Lets hope they don’t...
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5 Mar
6

Ghosts of our past!

The last 2 weeks have been incredibly interesting in the Manyeleti, especially with regards to the Lion dynamics on the reserve. The last 2 weeks has seen the return of the original bad boys of the Manyeleti….. the 2 southern Matimba’s have returned to their old stomping grounds. This naturally has had a profound effect on the movement of the local Lion prides, and of course the Thanda impi male Lions, who now rule the area. On the 19th of February, we were very surprised when we located an old male Lion with a Buffalo kill on Xiskankanka road. We...
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1 Mar
0

9-10 February 2017

Lion   Mbiri pride   The Mbiri pride continue to keep their cubs in the area around Zebra pan/Konkoni quarry. They managed to kill a Buffalo on konkoni, which set up a nice sighting on the afternoon of the 9th. The cubs were having a field day, playing with one another, their mothers and on occasion the Buffalo itself. Skorro Thanda impi made an appearance, but was interested in trying to mate with one of the younger females. As the aggression increased, one of the older females rounded the cubs up and started moving away. The young female however lured Skorro...
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25 Feb
0

Trunked up charges

  For as long as I can remember, I have fostered a very deep love for the African Bush. One of the iconic constituents of the bush I grew up admiring, was the Elephant. An unusual design, which makes a memorable moment, no matter the scene. Often just seen feeding, calmly by themselves, the impact of this moment is sadly quite often lost to us guides, but for a first time safari goer, this is the “Eiffel tower” moment of their safari. What makes Elephants so unique and iconic? To me its the trunk! An incredible appendage, that sets Elephants...
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25 Feb
0

6-8 January 2017

Lion   Thanda Impi males   The Thanda Impi males spent the majority of this time on their Buffalo kill at Ingwe manzi. On the morning of the 8th, we were following one of the Mbiri females, who was contact calling, and both of the males pitched up looking for her. She eventually moved south west towards manor house, but the Thanda impi’s kept looking and smelling for her at Xigamba pan, while a soft rain fell. Sizanani was moving a lot better than he had, and his leg injury that we were worried about seems to be healing well....
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18 Feb
9

Thanda Impi male Lions: Unlikely warriors

All of the guides at Tintswalo Safari Lodge have become quite attached to the Thanda impi males. The truth is that we never gave them a chance! When we first noticed the 2 males together, we recognized a familiar face. The Sizanani male was back, and he had a friend. This male was well known to us, he and his brother were territorial males in our area when I first started here in May 2012. They managed to hang on to the territory with the Koppies pride, until May 2013, when 4 of the Matimba males moved into the area, disposing of the...
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17 Feb
1

3-5 January 2017

Lion   Mbiri pride The Mbiri pride have been quite sedentary lately, spending the majority of their time around the Catwalk west drainage line area, close to the cubs. We had a beautiful sighting of the cubs and 2 of the mothers, just to the north of Windi Windi. The cubs are getting quite used to the vehicles, and we are noticing some characters starting to emerge. This is always the most fun to be had with Lion cubs, is the emergence of their own unique personalities. The next day, we found the Mbiri pride with a Buffalo kill at...
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13 Feb
0

Leopard dynamics- Is the north up for grabs?

The Manyeleti has seen a fair few changes over the last year or so. We’ve experienced one of the worst droughts in living memory! In the last few weeks, we’ve received some much needed rain, and this too has changed things significantly. The only constant though in the African bush, is change. The Northern Manyeleti’s Leopard population is currently going through one of those changes at the moment. We’re experiencing some very interesting dynamics regarding several young males that have moved into the north, and are competing for the territory, which until now we believed was still part of Rhulani’s area....
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8 Feb
1

30-31 December 2016 – What are the Nharhu pride playing at?

Lion   Nharhu pride   The Nharhu pride were again found deep in Mbiri territory, early on the morning of the 30th. We found them with the Thanda Impi males, feeding on a Buffalo kill, just behind Ingwe manzi. This area is a good 5 kilometers outside their normal territory, but the Lionesses used to move in the area, when they first arrived with their brothers, the Birmingham males. The Mbiri pride however have been concentrating on their cubs, and have left a massive gap for the Nharhu pride to take advantage of, and it seems that they sniffed out...
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6 Feb
5

28-29 December 2016- The first time I’ve managed to photograph the Sable bridge female leopard in over a year!

Lion    Nharhu pride   We had 2 sightings of the Nharhu pride over the 2 days. The were initially found on Metsikitsoro plains, lazing away on a hot and humid Lowveld afternoon. This is one of the favored area’s for the nharhu pride, deep in their territory. The next day however, they surprised us by showing up deep in Mbiri territory, close to Wild dog dam. This is probably because the Mbiri’s have been preoccupied with the cubs and have spent the majority of their time in the central and northern parts of their territory, and the Nharhu’s took...
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4 Feb
1

26-27 December 2016 – The Mbiri mother Lioness takes her cubs to their first kill.

Lion   Mbiri pride     We had 1 sighting of the Mbiri’s within the 2 days. We found one of the mothers with 4 cubs, on a Buffalo carcass just off Windi Windi. By the afternoon, another one of the younger females had joined, and was happily feasting on the Buffalo. She however got an earful from the mother when she approached the cubs too closely. As far as we know, this was a big day for the cubs, because its the first kill we know of that she’s taken them to.   Nharhu pride     The Nharhu...
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2 Feb
1

19-20 December 2016 – Rhulani is a very lucky Leopard

Lion   Mbiri pride     We had one sighting of the 3 young females. We were with Rhulani and Beacon, who were having a disagreement close to the airstrip, and out of the blue the Mbiri females launched an attack, and Rhulani , who was closest, narrowly escaped a horrible and violent death. With the adult females, spending the majority of their time with the new cubs, the 3 young Lionesses have been moving on their own and seem to be enjoying the new independence as well. They moved into one of their favorite area’s after the ambush, and...
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30 Jan
2

17-18 December 2016

Lion   Talamati pride We had one sighting of the Talamati’s over the 2 days. By the time I got there, the rest of the pride had moved north, but the old one eyed female was feeding on the last of the Buffalo kill that they had. We enjoyed her all to ourselves for over an hour. She then got up and made her way towards where the rest of the pride was lying in the cooler shade.   Other views from the bush   Until the next blog   Darren and the Tintswalo Safari Team  
28 Jan
0

13-14 December 2016 – The Leopards steal the show

Lions   Thanda Impi male Lions   We found both males having a very dozy nap on Catwalk west, so they moved back into Mbiri pride territory. There really isn’t much to be said about the sighting, because the highlight was the Sizanani male rolling over once. That however is Lions!   Talamati pride   We also one sighting of 7 of the Talamati pride, one of the adult females and 6 sub-adults. They were found on S8 link, and we found them just as they got going. Initially the sighting was very sluggish, with some of the sub-adults posing...
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27 Jan
0

11-12 December 2016 – The Mbiri’s bring their cubs out for the first

Lion   Mbiri pride   There was quite a lot of movement with this pride over the 2 days. We had 4 of the Lionesses on a Buffalo kill on the 11th. The Buffalo was killed right in front of our baker suite. Its a good thing we didn’t have guests in that suite, because I’m sure it would have been a very surprising morning cup of coffee. The next morning, we found them again on our delivery access, and by the afternoon we tracked them to the den site close to catwalk west. And a huge surprise was that...
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26 Jan
0

2-5 December 2016 – Rhulani has an uncomfortable morning.

Lions   Mbiri pride   We first had a sighting with 3 of the Lionesses on Vulture pan road, a day later one of the older Lionesses was found with 4 cubs, close to Catwalk west again. We now believe that they have 6 cubs, as the last cub sighting was definitely 2 cubs. So probably 2 from one Lioness and 4 from the other! We have kept a strict viewing protocol with the cubs, and slowly but surely they’ll become very relaxed with the vehicles. It was great to watch the interaction between the mother and the cubs! The...
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25 Jan
0

24-28 November 2016 – New additions to the Mbiri pride

Lions   Thanda Impi male Lions   We had 2 sightings of the Thanda Impi males, over the 4 days. They were initially found on Windi Windi, lying low under a Guarri bush, whilst it softly rained on the afternoon of the 24th. We found their tracks a lot in the days that followed, but only found them again on the morning of the 27th, close to Zebra pan. Its interesting that they are staying in the general area that the Mbiri pride has their cubs hidden.   Mbiri pride   It’s been difficult finding the Mbiri pride lately! We...
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18 Jan
0

8-9 November 2016 – Thanda impi tempers flare

Lions   Mbiri pride   We had 2 sightings of 2 of the females. The were initially found on the evening of the 8th, sleeping next to the road, close to Xigamba pan. The next morning, they were found in exactly the same place, but were this time joined by the Thanda Impi male Lions. Tensions flared between the male Lions, and the 2 Lionesses moved north towards Konkoni quarry. They were followed the entire morning, and some of the guides were lucky enough to watch them and the thread impi’s kill a Buffalo on Windi Windi. The ladies had...
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16 Jan
0

6-7 November 2016 – Rhulani gets a free meal

Lion   Mbiri pride   The Mbiri pride seems to be quite split at the moment, and we think its because the adult females are looking for denning sites in the core of their territory. We found 3 of the Lionesses in the drainage line on Tamboti road. It was difficult to see all 3 of them clearly, but we did manage to get a good view of one of them. The next morning, we found one of the young lionesses with both Thanda impi males at our pump house. She then moved north towards the lodge, with Skorro in...
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15 Jan
0

3-5 Nov 2016 – The drought devastates, but the predators still thrive.

Lion   Mbiri pride   One of the older Mbiri Lionesses was found with Skorro thanda Impi male on a Buffalo carcass, on Catwalk west on the 4th. He was clearly more interested in her than the meal though. Later, on the afternoon of the 4th, 3 of the other Lionesses were found just on the other side of the drainage line. The 2 older Lionesses are clearly showing signs of pregnancy, and we’re expecting cubs in the near future.   Thanda Impi male Lions   We only had the two sightings of the Skorro male, with the Mbiri pride on...
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8 Jan
0

29-31 October 2016 – all of the magnificent seven seen, as well as 4 of the 6 cats

Lion   Mbiri pride   The Thanda impi male Lions have been spending more and more time with the Mbiri’s. On the 29th, we had a sighting with one of the younger mating with the Sizanani male on Catwalk west. The Mbiri pride then disappeared for a day, and then found one of the younger lionesses with a Buffalo kill on Lomfane road. It seems like the older Lionesses are spending less and less time with the pride, and are hanging around the Catwalk west area. This is an area that they like to den cubs in.   Nharhu pride...
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2 Jan
0

26-28 October 2016 – A new young male Leopard arrives in the north

Lion   Mbiri pride We had 3 sightings of the Mbiri’s over the 3 days. They were initially found at the lodge on the morning of the 26th, and moved to Panicum. The next morning the moved north to Konkoni quarry, where one of the younger females had a drink and then joined the rest of the pride. The older Lionesses were starting to show signs of being pregnant, and they stayed in the core section of their territory by moving along the drainage line to Catwalk west, where they were joined by the Sizanani thanda Impi male Lion. He...
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29 Dec
0

24-25 October 2016 – A fever of activity.

Lion   Mbiri pride   The Mbiri pride moved a round quite a bit over the 2 day period. They were at first, found with both Thanda Impi male Lions on Catwalk west. The next morning, they were seen at the lodge and eventually settled down close to Panicum loop. The evening of the 25th, they killed a Buffalo at Xigamba pan. It was an amazing experience for the guests to witness the kill.   Nharhu pride   We only had one sighting of the Nharhu pride, before they moved into the KNP at Vincents pan, on the eastern boundary....
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24 Dec
0

20-23 October 2016 – A time of plenty for the predators.

Lion   Mbiri pride (3)   There was 3 sightings of the Mbiri’s over the 4 days. They were found with a Buffalo kill, close to manor house on the morning of the 20th, but were chased off by elephants. In the afternoon, they were found on Konkoni to the east. They were looking well fed, and healthy. One of the young females spotted a kudu, and started stalking it. She got quite close, probably about 40 meters, before the Kudu saw her and took off, barking in alarm. On the 23rd, they were found with both thanda Impi male Lions...
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23 Dec
0

3-5 Oct 2016 – The drought is becoming a crippling one

Lion (7)   Nharhu pride (2)   It was a bit strange, but Lions sightings were quite rare over the 3 days of the blog. We did however find the Nharhu pride on the morning of the 3rd, with a Buffalo on Ndlulamiti road. The cubs were feeding on the carcass, and the Lionesses were resting nearby, content in their ability to secure food for the 10 hungry and growing cubs. On the 4th, they were found again, to the north of Main Dam. We found them in some thicker bush, but managed to enjoy a sighting of them grooming...
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22 Dec
1

30 September -2 October 2016 – The first decent rains, but too late for some of the struggling Buffalo.

Lion (6)   Mbiri pride (2)   The Mbiri pride were found with a Buffalo kill on the morning of the 30th, but seemed to be under a bit of pressure with the 3 Avoca sub-adults lying only a few hundred meters away. The 2 older females are formidable lionesses, and I suppose that might be enough to dissuade them. They did however abandon the kill during the night We then found them much further west, almost on our doorstep, again with yet another Buffalo kill. The thanda Impi male Lions were with them, but the older females were holding...
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16 Dec
1

22-25 September 2016 – Are the Avoca sub-adults and the Mbiri males going to join forces?

Lion   Mbiri pride (2)   The Mbiri pride were a little bit scarce over these 4 days, and we only had 2 sightings of them. They were initially found on the morning of the 22nd, to the north of the lodge at Zebra pan. They were looking a bit hungry and were looking for some Warthog to hunt. They moved along the drainage line, checking every Termite mound along the way. Eventually they settled down for the day. On the morning of the 25th, they were found with a Buffalo kill at Wild dog Dam , to the south...
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15 Dec
1

18-21 September 2016 – The Thanda impi consolidate their power, and we had our first decent rains.

Lion (5)   Mbiri pride (3)   Our resident pride were quite busy, and are definitely having a very successful period. They started off by killing a buffalo on Catwalk west, and by the next morning they had moved across the drainage line and killed another two buffalo on Windi Windi. The Thanda Impi males seemed in complete control of the pride and joined them for the feast. The Mbiri pride then moved south and killed another buffalo on Tamboti road. The Mbiri’s seem to be thriving under the protection of the Thanda Impi males, and hopefully we will see...
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14 Dec
3

13-16 September 2016 – A Time for the Leopards to Shine

Lions (6)   Mbiri pride (5) The Mbiri pride moved around a lot over these three days. They were initially found with a Buffalo kill on Nyathi drive, and moved to Lomfane by the afternoon. They were found again after some serious tracking, with another two Buffalo kills, just off Windi Windi. The females were not willing to share their hard-fought kill with the vultures, and went chasing after the big birds a few times during the sighting. From there they moved south, and were found the next morning at Manor House pan, where they spent the day resting. They...
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14 Dec
3

11-12 September 2016 – The Thanda Impi Male Lions Tighten Their Grip on the Mbiri Pride

Lion (4) Mbiri pride (2) We had two sightings of our resident pride over these two days. One of the young females was found on Rian’s folly on the morning of the 11th. She spent some time gazing at a few Impala, and lazing on a termite mound, before moving back into the drainage line, where she joined the rest of the pride and both Thanda Impi males. On the morning of the 12th, two of the young lionesses were found in the company of a Thanda Impi male each on Catwalk west. Mating was occurring with both pairs. One...
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13 Dec
3

1-2 September 2016 – The Xiluva Female Leopard stalks Two Cheetah

Lions (2) Mbiri pride (1) We had one sighting of the Mbiri’s over the two days. They killed a Buffalo on Rian’s folly, and were looking really good and well-fed. We do believe that the mystery of who assaulted the Nharhu Lioness in the previous blog was answered. One of the older Mbiri Lionesses had a damaged ear, and was favoring it throughout the sighting. It is very possible that these prides met, as their territories do overlap, and the other two Nharhu Lionesses took the cubs to safety, and she stood between the Mbiri’s and the cubs. I’ve seen...
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10 Dec
0

29-31 August 2016 – Battle Lines Are Drawn by Big Cats

Lion   Nharhu pride (3)   These were the only Lions we saw over the three days! The Nharhu pride spent the period to the north of Main Dam, around Malcolm’s Bridge and Leadwood Link. The big talking point, was on the morning of the 31st. The Nharhu pride was found on Leadwood Link, and one of the Lionesses was sporting some injuries. She was clearly in pain, and was acting quite aggressively towards the cubs, when they got too close. The injuries were clearly lion-made, and she had scars on her side and lower back, which are very typical of...
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10 Dec
6

26-28 August 2016 – Rhulani Leopard Kills a Warthog at Wild Dog dam.

Lion   Mbiri pride (2)   The Mbiri pride had a very busy time over this period! They managed to kill three Buffalo in the three days. The first killed two Buffalo at Old Pump, on the afternoon of the 26th. The next morning they were nowhere to be found, and a clan of hyena were helping themselves to the remnants of the feast. We don’t know if they were forced off the carcasses by the hyena, or if they just abandoned them. On the morning of the 28th, we found them with another buffalo kill on Catwalk west. Not...
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10 Dec
2

23-24 August 2016 – The first migrant bird returns, so summer must be around the corner

Lions   Miri pride (2)   The Mbiri pride have been maintaining their presence in the central and western parts of their territory. The Thanda Impi males have also been seen with the pride, and on both occasions they were seen, each of the males was trying to mate with one of the young Lionesses. The first sighting was on Vulture pan road, and the Skorro male was torn between mating and chasing the rest of the pride away from the oestrous female. The next morning, we found the Mbiri pride at Ingwe manzi, this time with the Sizanani male. He...
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9 Dec
1

18-20 August 2016 – A full house on Safari

Lions (5)   Mbiri pride (1)   We only had one sighting of the Mbiri Lions. They were seen with the Skorro Thanda impi male Lion on Reservoir road. There was really not much to report, it was one of those standard lazy lion safari sightings.   Nharhu pride (1)   We also had one sighting of the Nharhu pride over the last few days. They were seen while on safari on Leadwood link, close to the drainage line. The cubs are still the biggest source of entertainment, and their antics are good fun to watch, the constant playing, with...
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9 Dec
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14-17 August 2016 – The Lions are on Fire

Lion (9)   Mbiri pride (4)   The Mbiri pride spent all their time with the Thanda impi male Lions, during this period. While on Safari, they were first found on the 15th, with both the Thanda Impi’s on Tamboti Road. The Skorro male was showing a lot of interest in one of the young females, and by the afternoon they’d moved to Windi windi and some mating was happening at metronomical consistency. They were found the next day, with the Sizanani male on catwalk west. On the morning on the 17th, they were found on Nyathi drive with two...
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6 Dec
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23-24 July 2016 – Safari Love is in the Air

Lion   Thanda Impi males and Mbiri pride   We dont have much to report, due to the length of the blog, but we did find the Skorro Thanda impi male lion with one of the Mbiri Lionesses on the 23rd. They were mating close to Sable bridge. Both seemed really sleepy, and it took almost half an hour of waiting, before they did the deed. With all the possibilities with the lion dynamics at the moment, its going to be interesting to see if this pride has cubs, and whether or not the Thanda impi’s can hold on to...
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6 Dec
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16-19 July 2016 – The Thanda impi males chase Mbiri male lions

Lion   Mbiri pride (2)   We had two sightings of the Mbiri’s in the four days of this blog. We didn’t see them for the first two days, but after some serious tracking, we eventually found them with two Buffalo kills, just off Rhino Run. They were also in the company of one of the Avoca male Lions. He was about 200 meters away from the pride, with one of the Buffalo carcasses. The next morning, they were found on Lomfane, and moved west from there. They continued west, and then the three young Lionesses took a sub-adult Buffalo...
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6 Dec
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12-15 July 2016 – The Mbiri & the Nharhu lion pride clash!

Lion   Mbiri pride (3)   The last few days have been a bit topsy-turvy for the Mbiri pride. They were found on the 12th, just to the north of Reedbuck plains. We then found them at Mazambaan corner on the morning of the 14th. The young lionesses were playing around, and there wasn’t a care in the world. Later on in the morning, they had a huge fight with the Nharhu pride and were sent swiftly to the north, by the Nharhu’s and both Thanda Impi males. The next morning they were found with a nice big buffalo kill....
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