 The first lions to be reintroduced to Madikwe came from the nearby Pilanesberg National Park. These animals were darted at night with an immobilising drug and transported by truck, still in a deep slumber, to Madikwe. This original group of two lionesses and one adult male lion form the core of the now well-established Leeuwenhoek pride.  The second group - consisting of a lioness and her four sub-adult cubs - also originated from Pilanesberg. These individuals now form the Ophir pride. (The pride names were derived from the areas of the park which the prides selected for their respective territories.) The females have established their territories, while the males tend to roam over larger areas of the park. The third group of lions came from Etosha National Park in Namibia. The large adult male was promptly named 'Scarface' due to the marks on his face - presumably the result of territorial disputes. The two sub-adult males in the group were named the 'Batia Brothers', as they were captured in the Batia section of Etosha. The Etosha lions were flown in from Namibia in a South African National Defence Force plane.
Since their release, Scarface has remained a nervous and elusive loner and is only occasionally seen by game drives in the north-west section of the park. He has taken to patrolling the fence in the evenings - his huge spoor marks in the dust indicating his route. On the whole, the introduction of lions to Madikwe has gone extremely well. The territorial roaring of the lions vocalising their dominance is now a feature of the Madikwe night.
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As
it is surely the highlight of any game drive to spot a lion in the bush,
these animals should be visible and relaxed when approached by vehicles.
During the time the lions were held in the boma, game drive vehicles drove
around the perimeter to habituate the animals to vehicles. 
While
in the boma, the lions were fed using a remote feeding system. This was
done to prevent the lions from associating vehicles and people with food
- a potentially dangerous situation. This innovative mechanism allowed
a carcass to be hoisted over the boma fence and dropped inside without
the lions being aware of the fact that they were being fed.
Mating
and successful breeding is the best indication that the introduced animals
are well adapted to their new environment. As part of the monitoring programme,
Markus will be noting the results of this mating very closely. 
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