The Circle of Life

I thought that I’d start the Monday morning with something actually cheerful…Well I think it is anyways, I hope that you will too.

As my long time readers probably know I watch a little Ustream live feed called “Safari Live”…I have been watching it for probably about twoish years now and I watch whenever I can.

Take a quick read of one of my past posts (Live Safari Update: Sept 21 2015). I can now say that the “BBoys” are the now well established coalition that watches over the Styx and Nkuhuma prides. Just for a quick run down, the BBoys took over the Matimba males just at the end of last year. Five to Two, even with the experience of the Matimba males, they were just too outnumbered. A lot of death and mayhem.

One of the things the regualrly followers have said about the Bboys is that they had better give us some cute cubs! … Now it looks like it’s happened for both the Styx and the Nkuhuma prides! Yes, us regular viewers can be quiet the fickle bunch, but the wild is harsh. Any sign of new life is celebrated.

The below video is of the new Nkuhuma lion cubs:

https://www.facebook.com/CheetahPlains/videos/1131700056882441/%20

This other video is of the Styx lion cubs:

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fchene.walesbaillie%2Fvideos%2F10153759421264702%2F&show_text=0&width=560

Aren’t they just precious?!

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Live Safari Update!

As you all know I am a MASSIVE fan of the Safari Live hosted by Nat Geo, Wild Earth and Ustream. I realised though I haven’t posted for a long time about the drives. One of the major reasons this is because there has been great upheaval in the land of Djuma, Arthusa Safari Lodge and the Sabi Sands Wildtuin!

Mainly with the new collation of young male adults called the Birmingham Boys, or as there new nickname is “The Bad Boys”. There are five of them, there were 6, but one was killed but other male Lions. They’ve gotten there nickname as they’ve killed two cubs, leaving one alive, because Mama Lioness was only able to save the one. They’ve killed about five lionesses (I’ll double check that, it’s 4 or 5). So far there are has been little interaction between these boys and the Matimba males, other than calling and vocalising.

(The Birmingham Boys aka “The Bad Boys” or “The BBoys”)

(The Matimba Males: Hairy Belly and Ginger)

The whole situation is really depressing and really interesting at the same time. I’ve only ever heard of new males killing cubs, which I can understand completely. The whole BBoys killing the Lionesses is something completely new to me and even some of our guides seem perplexed by the situation, because they are just killing so many of them.  There is one thought that maybe the Lionesses are resisting the BBoy’s and because they are young and full of testosterone. They came in aggressive, so it’s gets all aggressive type thing.

Just for another interesting twist in the story as well, two other Male lions, who are unidentified, have now also appeared on the scene. Possibly the other two Matimba males from further up North?