Split Rock Males

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Photograph by ranger Sheldon Williams

December 2006

The Split Rock Male made a surprise appearance in the Thamboti Thicket during the early parts of the report period. He spent two days in this area on his own. Thereafter he was only seen in the company of the Styx lionesses, in the very northern parts of the reserve. He no doubt intends to stay as far north as possible to avoid any confrontation with the Rollercoaster Males. Given the general tendency of the Rollercoaster Males to remain in the central parts of the property, it may be possible for the Split Rock Male to remain in control of the Styx Pride for a little longer. However new challengers could appear from anywhere, and he will continue to struggle to control this pride on his own. Late in the game report period the Split Rock Male was seen with the Styx Pride moving east into the KNP in the northern parts of the reserve, and then back into Mala Mala around the Windmill. This could indicate a new trend of movement for these lions, who have seldom been seen in these parts before.

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November 2006

The Split Rock Male had a very difficult month and was not seen as frequently as in previous months. The Rollercoaster Males are putting severe pressure on this male lion and invaded his territory frequently during November, searching for him and the Styx Pride. This is not a good sign for this lion who is certainly avoiding the Rollercoaster Males as much as possible. The report period commenced with the Rollercoaster Males finding the Split Rock Male and chasing him far north after dominating him in the fight that occurred in the Sand River close to West Street.

Photograph by ranger Sheldon Williams

The Split Rock Male was very quiet when seen during November thereafter, not roaring lest he attract any unwanted attention from the other male lions. He was seen mainly on his own during the report period. There can be no doubt that this male is fighting for his own survival, and is struggling to protect his females and the cubs sired by him and his late brother.

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October 2006

The Split Rock Male had a tough month all in all. The beginning and mid part of the month was very normal for the solitary male. He stayed close to the Styx Pride and fed very well throughout the month.

Photograph by ranger Sheldon Williams

Towards the end of the month, the entire Styx Pride and Split Rock Male were seen for a week or more around central and Eastern Flockfield.

Photograph by ranger Giles Kelmanson

The Split Rock Male was particularly vocal in these areas and paid the price for this. The Rollercoaster Males heard his calls from nearby and came running towards him. After a brief encounter the Split Rock Male tucked tail and ran northward, towards the centre of his territory. He will certainly be a lot more respectful of the Rollercoaster Males in the years to come.

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September 2006

The Split Rock Male had another fine month and provided some consistent viewing. Again, he spent most of his time with members of the Styx Pride following the death of his brother. This seems to be his strategy for his survival, which is fairly sensible considering that his chances of killing prey are substantially higher with the lionesses.

Photograph by ranger Sheldon Williams

A couple of fine sightings of this male lion were had of him interacting with buffalo this month. One particular sighting found him and 2 big male buffalo interacting around Campbell Koppies. The Split Rock male brazenly approached the buffalo in the midday heat. He charged the buffalo from approximately 30 meters, which subsequently galloped away in the opposite direction. The Split Rock Male quickly closed the gap between himself and the buffalo and with an amazing act of bravery, leapt onto the back of one of the fleeing buffalo. He tackled the buffalo to the ground and got the buffalo in a death grip, around its muzzle. The buffalo, which was a little dazed from the fall it had just taken, quickly recovered and tossed the Split Rock Male off with a swipe of its horns. The Split Rock Male must have been hurt with this tremendous blow by the buffalo as he made no further attempts to catch the buffalo.

Photograph by ranger Sheldon Williams

Then later in the month the Split Rock Male dominated an impala kill made by the Styx Pride late in the morning near Elephant Rock. Two other fine sightings of this lion was of him killing two sick buffalo on two separate occasions, the Split Rock Male making short work of the sick animals. So September was a month that was plentiful in terms of food for this lion who is in great condition. The advances of the Rollercoaster Males has bot influenced his behaviour much except that he is in the constant presence of the Styx Pride and was not seen to patrol his territory at all. This perhaps could be his downfall in the near future as other lions might well try and pressurise him and evict him from his current territory.

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August 2006

The Split Rock Male had a fine month and provided some consistent viewing. He was mainly seen with the Styx Pride or members there of, very seldom being seen alone. Following the death of his companion a few months back this lion has opted to stick with the lionesses, which might not be a bad option for him.

Photograph by ranger Sheldon Williams

Besides spending time with the Styx Pride, the Split Rock Male did occasionally spend time marking territory and roaring to advertise his presence. He was also seen to hunt buffalo on two occasions, both times being chased off by the herd. It is of utmost importance that this lion puts on a brave face and advertises his presence as much as possible to deter any other male lions, such as the two young nomadic males and the Rollercoaster Males, from venturing to far into his territory.

The Split Rock Male was involved in some spectacular sightings in which he dominated kills made by the Styx Pride. In the middle of the month the Split Rock Male completely dominated an impala kill that the Styx Pride was seen to make on the banks of the Mlowathi. Film crews that followed the lions later in the month reported that the Split Rock Male appropriated two other impala kills that the Styx Pride made.

Other than hunting and following the Styx Pride around, the Split Rock Male was also seen to associate briefly with the young cubs of the Styx Pride that have been concealed in the Mlowathi River. On both occasions when seen in the area with the cubs the cubs showed him a lot of respect. The male lion lay off from the cubs and did not pay them much attention.

Photograph by ranger Wesley Neuman

The Split Rock Male must certainly be feeling the pressure from the Rollercoaster Males that have already come north and taken over what must be considered to be the southern parts of the Split Rock Males territory. On numerous occasions the Split Rock Male could hear the Rollercoaster Males roaring, but at no point did he roar back at them. On a few occasions late in the night the Split Rock Male headed silently towards where the Rollercoaster Males were roaring, but was not seen to approach them. Male lions that hear roaring within their territories usually do not respond, but simply run towards the intruders trying to take them by surprise. Hopefully the Spit Rock Male was not spoiling for a fight as he is outnumbered by the two Rollercoaster Males and would be better advised to roar back and put on a brave face from behind his smoke screen. It is also important for the survival of the Styx Cubs that the Split Rock male holds out for as long as possible on Eyrefield and Marthly as new males would surely kill any young cubs that they find.

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July 2006

The Split Rock Males provided some excellent viewing during the month of July. Towards the start of the report period they were seen frequently with the Styx Pride in the northern reaches of the property along the Mlowathi River System. With the Styx Pride having cubs sired by the Split Rock Males on Campbell ’s Koppies these lions have been spending much time in this area.

The older of the two Split Rock Males continued where he left off last month, an almost constant companion of the Styx Pride. He was involved in a memorable sighting in early July when the Styx Pride caught a large warthog in the morning near the Main Camp. The Split Rock Male immediately ran in on the kill and asserted his dominance, chasing off almost all the lioness and securing the kill for himself.

Photograph by ranger Sheldon Williams

Meanwhile his companion, the younger of the two Split Rock Males, was not in good shape at the start of the report period. He was getting weaker and weaker, and was seen in much the same area, obviously not having the strength to move far at all. Then on the 8 th of July this lion was found just south of the causeway close to the Mala Mala Main Camp, lying out on a sandbank. At dusk he raised his head, and after a while tried to rise to his feet. He walked a few yards towards a nearby water hole, had a short drink, but simply did not have the strength to move away again. He collapsed on a rock at around 18:45 and his breathing slowed and eventually stopped. His death was met with much sadness by all that had known him over the years that he was around on Mala Mala.

The Split Rock Males arrived at Mala Mala as young male lions towards the middle parts of 2000. Originally part of a coalition of 4 lions, they initially set up a territory on the eastern parts of Mala Mala. Just where these lions came from is unclear, perhaps the Kruger National Park , where they used to spend much of their time. They had many run-ins with the legendary West Street Males, eventually ousting them in the later parts of 2004, this when the coalition consisted of the lone two remaining Split Rock Males. They managed to dominate over the Styx Pride, something that the West Street Males could never do and probably sired cubs with the Mlowathi Pride and perhaps even the Eyrefield Pride. The deceased Split Rock Male is estimated to be around 10 years old, slightly younger than the remaining healthy lion. Initial indications were that the lion had contracted Bovine TB, probably infected from eating a diseased buffalo, and certainly had some or other infection in a deep gash on his hind legs. Although most lions live long healthy lives with this disease present in their bodies, it can affect some lions adversely. This was confirmed in an autopsy that was conducted after his death, his lungs being riddled with TB. For the past few months he had resorted to scavenging, and the Styx Pride, for his food, not being in any condition to tackle large prey himself.

Photograph by ranger Sheldon Williams

Just what his death will do to the lion dynamics in the northern parts of Mala Mala is unclear at this point. The remaining Split Rock Male would have been aware that something had happened to his companion, and was seen towards the end of the month on his own and roaring, obviously searching for him. He will be at a serious disadvantage should he have to meet other land hungry males, of which there are a number knocking at his door at present. New males would quickly pick up that there is a decrease in the amount of roaring coming from the northern parts of Mala Mala and might come to investigate if there is any available land to claim as their own. This could also be disastrous for the Styx Pride as they have cubs that were sired by the Split Rock Males on a near by koppie - new intruding lions would certainly kill these cubs should they find them. Towards the end of the month the remaining Split Rock Male was seen to steal a bushbuck kill from a young leopard, and joined up with various members of the Styx Pride. He would have no doubt also met the young cubs that the Styx Pride has with them at present.

Photograph by ranger Sheldon Williams

The death of a popular resident lion will be felt by all who inhabit Mala Mala for some time still.

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June 2006

The two Split Rock Males kept up a strong presence in the north of the property. They were frequently seen with the Styx Pride, but were not seen to mate with any of the females. One of the male lions is not looking to good, having some bad injuries to his back legs and looking thin. But the other lion is in great condition. He was seen to make two kills this month, a male nyala and a big buffalo bull which he killed along with the Styx Pride.

Photographed by ranger Wesley Neuman

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May 2006

The two Split Rock Males were seen a total of 13 times, all with at least one member of the Styx pride. The oldest male was also seen mating with the 5yr old lioness ( 01/05/06 ) which he had been courting the whole of the previous month. These males were seen together with the Styx pride on a sub adult male rhino carcass near Flockfield tower. Tracks in the area suggested that the rhino was in fact taken down by the lions, a feat which no doubt these powerful old males would have played a major role. These males also asserted their dominance with many impressive roaring displays and were seen chasing what might have been the unidentified pride mentioned below.

Photographed by ranger Greg Coates

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April 2006

The two Split Rock Males did not spend much time together in April but were seen frequently apart (20 sightings). The younger male was seen mainly with the Styx Pride, while the older male was seen courting a Styx lioness throughout the month. Towards the end on the month the younger male seemed to lose the rest in the Styx pride and was seen following the courting pair at a respectable distance so as not to impose on his older partner’s mating efforts. The courting pair was only observed to actually mate briefly right at the end of the month.

Photograph by ranger Sheldon Williams

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March 2006

The two Split Rock Males were seen on 15 days in March and spent most of the month together and not in the presence of any females. They provided good roaring activity and were involved in a skirmish with the Eyrefield Pride (now consisting of six females only) south of the new airstrip when they stole two impala kills made by the females. Only towards the end of the month were these males seen with the Styx Pride when the older male joined two of the older lionesses that had separated from the rest of the pride, while the younger male joined the other five members. The younger of these two lions does not appear to be in good condition and time will tell how long these ageing lions will continue to rule the north of Mala Mala. However, these animals are undoubtedly tougher than their external appearance suggests, and their continued roaring displays suggest that these lions have no intention of relinquishing their territory.

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February 2006

The Split Rock Males were seen on eight occasions, mostly with the Styx Pride as to be expected. The younger of the two appeared to go through a patch of poor health while the older continued to assert his dominance by mating with members of the Styx Pride and stealing their kills on two occasions.

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January 2006

The Split Rock Males were seen regularly with the Styx pride, however, the younger of the two was definitely showing some signs of illness, not being able to keep up with his companion or the female pride on some occasions.

Older Split Rock male lion                                                    Younger Split Rock male lion