The MalaMala Wildlife CyberDiary

MalaMala Diary Entry: 9 February, 1998

The last few days have seen the Styx pride wandering further south than usual, deep into areas usually patrolled by the Charleston and Windmill prides. This wandering has also taken them far away from the one older lioness who has almost certainly given birth in the last few days. Just why they should separate and remain apart is not easy to explain - perhaps the other females want to take the two-year-old cubs away from the new-born cubs, protecting the latter from the clumsy inquisitiveness of the older youngsters. It will be interesting to see whether these young cubs do survive - whether they will be abandoned as happened to the last litter of four midway through last year, or whether the Manyelethi males, the fathers of the cubs, remain behind long enough to protect their new arrivals from aggression from new dominant males.

The Manyelethi males have been around for nearly three years and it can be expected that they will soon start losing control as other younger and stronger lions move in. Already three young males have started to establish themselves a fraction to the north of the range of the Manyelethi males, occasionally making their way deeper south, testing the limits of the lions which they may eventually challenge. Other lions which have provided good viewing are the Windmill and Charleston prides - both large families which inhabit the central and southern regions of Mala Mala.

Elephant numbers have been high over the last few weeks with both herds of females and youngsters as well as males taking full advantage of the good crop of marula berries. At this time of year the elephants walk from tree to tree, shaking them and then delicately picking up the individual berries and placing them in their mouths. Contrary to popular belief, these berries do not cause the elephants to become intoxicated.

Rhino viewing is still good, but numbers have declined as the grass becomes rank and less appealing to them. Those animals inside areas familiar to them - either territorial males or females within some or other home range - create "lawns" of short grass which they visit regularly. These "lawns" are cropped continuously ensuring a regular supply of new and succulent growth.

The large herd of buffalo are still seen regularly on Mala Mala. All are making good use of the plentiful supply of mud. Calving is also in full swing and it could perhaps be expected that at the end of the season the ranks of this herd may reach nearly 600.