As of 1st week December 2020, the Mhangeni pride consists of:
3 older lionesses about 12 years old (3 of the original 4) 1 young lioness about 5 years old 1 young lioness about 4.5 years old 1 sub adult female 2.5 years old 2 cubs about 6 months old (male & female, born to Lioness 1) 1 female cub about 4 months old (born to the younger Mhangeni-12 lioness) 1 female cub about 6-8 weeks old (born to Lioness 2)
After seeing the Mhangeni Pride and the Othawa male over the weekend, we followed up and they hadn't ventured far from where we last saw them. After watching them for some time, the whole pride got up, stretched and picked their way through the rocks to a waterhole where thirsts were quenched, and the cubs tumbled about.
Tracks of a pride of lions were found early in the morning. We followed them and found the pride in a rocky outcrop – the Mhangeni Pride, their cubs, as well as the Othawa male!
Not afraid to get dirty, this cub dips it’s chin into the mud as it drinks from a shallow pan. The early morning golden light provided a beautiful contrast to the dark black cotton soil. I love how it looks like the cub is looking at its reflection in the water.
Having lions flop down in the shade of your vehicle (literally within arms reach) provides you with the opportunity to view every detail on their body. To stare into this cubs eyes from so close was a special moment and I was able to only just capture it, even though I had zoomed out fully. Usually I aim to capture more of the animal but I was limited here purely by how close the pride was. Not a bad problem to have I guess.
The intense stare of the Ottawa male. I thoroughly enjoy the floppiness of his mane at the top. An impressive male lion to say the least.
12/09/2020
Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve
After a hot afternoon we decided to head to a waterhole and to our surprise we noticed a female lion – as we got closer we saw the pride sleeping not too far off. After some playful cubs climbed all over the females, they settled for some suckling.
It was an extremely exciting afternoon as we managed to find a lioness in an open area. She seemed to be on a mission and was continuously on the move. We eventually lost sight of her in the thickets and we then slowly made our way back to the open area in the hope of having a drink's break. We were pleasantly surprised as we found yet another lioness resting in the open. She was continuously scanning in one direction. We didn't know what she was looking at until we spotted the entire pride along with their cubs and the male walking towards her. It was an unbelievable sight to behold as the cubs played with each other while the adults lay resting on the open plains. A truly memorable sighting!
This morning, we left in the early hours to try and find the pride again, and we came across the male. He was by himself calling constantly to relocate his pride. We stayed with him for a while in the hopes that he would lead us to the others but he, much like ourselves, was unsuccessful.
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