The leadership of one lion can make or break the future of a pride – here’s why the lone warrior of the Klaserie is one very interesting character.
A rugged, lone male lion with a deformed tail roams the fertile regions of the Klaserie River protecting his territory and struggling against all odds to fight for the survival of his pride – the River pride. The River pride bears the scars of a turbulent history but has survived despite the curveballs thrown by Mother Nature. The pride’s survival success story is down to the leadership of a heavily scarred, dominant male from the River pride, who we refer to as the mysterious warrior of the Klaserie. This aging lion fought tirelessly for his pride, never once having succumbed to his wounds from his battles. He even took to hunting alone which is unusual behaviour from a male lion. The River pride has become a fascinating enigma to the rangers and passionate conservationist, Judy Meeser. Here Judy excitedly introduces us to the mysterious River pride and its lone warrior leader.
Judy has been monitoring the River Pride with curiosity for some time now. “We had all heard about a particular lone male lion with the end of his tail missing long before we saw him. It is unusual for a male to hold a territory all on his own, normally there would be a coalition of two or more,” says Judy. Dominant males within a pride are normally spotted in coalitions and thus form intensely strong bonds with one another. They actually depend on each other for survival and have been known to pursue and share the same females. Often, while out on a game drive, you will see two males and a single female. This generally means they have removed themselves from the pride to mate. Judy says, “Knowing the information above and how male lions operate, it is without a doubt that this dominant male certainly deserves some respect!”
The survival and strength of the pride is down to the sheer commitment of our lone warrior lion who has fought off competition from neighbouring males attempting to oust him from the pride. However, all this has come at a price. Like any war situation, there are always battle wounds and his scars tell a story. Judy said that after one of his battles they actually thought he would not live to see his pride mature. She goes on to say, “A noticeable notch in his spine reminds us that he is out of condition and also appears to have a limp. This limp plagues him when he rises after lying down for some time.” Despite Judy’s concerns, this old warrior has never failed to amaze us with the resilience shown on more than one occasion. He has even bought down a buffalo on his own!
Let’s delve a bit deeper into the history of the lone warrior’s pride and how they have emerged from their fragile state. Over the past 5 years our lone warrior has sired 10 healthy cubs and the burgeoning River pride is now 13 members strong, with sub-adults, lionesses and cubs. Five of the cubs were born within days of each other, by two lionesses during August 2013. Before introducing cubs to their pride, lionesses find a secret den when they nurture their young until they are mature enough. The low rate of survival of cubs in the wild is often due to predators finding the den site. The mother normally goes off to hunt and this leaves cubs in a vulnerable position. In this instance, both females stashed their cubs in the flood debris along the Ox Bow of the Klaserie River which is part of the nDzuti Safari Camp concession.
Judy says, “These cubs are roughly 6 months old and adore the lionesses. Both mothers and cubs have often been spotted by guests and rangers. Three of the young cubs suffered from a bout of mange from which they appear to have recovered. Three of them had eye infections which we assumed to have been from being spat at by a Mozambiquan spitting cobra. Two have recovered but one young male cub appears to be blind in one eye.”
A make-or-break moment for the River pride was when the cubs from previous litters (roughly 2 years old) were spotted fending for themselves after having been kicked out by the River pride lionesses. There were 4 sub-adult males and 1 female. When sub-adult males have been rejected by the pride they become nomads, or they take over a territory by declaring war on the dominant male in charge of the pride. Had this happened this would have reduced the River Pride to just 3 females with their newborn cubs. With the fragile position of the pride, it was up to the lone warrior to make a decision. In his wisdom, the dominant male allowed his sons to stay and share the possession of their prime territory along the Klaserie River. At long last, the pride would not splinter!
Judy says, “The sub-adults of the River Pride are now 3 years old and have developed individual characters. The only lioness is independent and adventurous, often leaving her brothers sleeping (as lions do best) and setting off on her own, hunting and exploring. She is a smallish lioness with a pale skin and faints spots from her youth. The old male is still very active calling and patrolling his territory and the sub-adults are now proven hunters, bringing down their own kills. We look forward to many years of good viewing of the River pride’s antics!”
The River pride of lions and their lone warrior leader truly are an emerging pride. Stay tuned – we will bring you more stories from the nDzuti territory.
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