Skukutsu males & Mphosa

The death of the male lion we called Trilogy left a power vacuum in the area round KwaMbili. With enough prey around, the lionesses of the northern pride stayed in their territory but with no male lion scent-marking this territory, surrounding male lions have come in from outside to investigate our part of Thornybush. Fresh blood will mean a new genetic line in the area which helps prevent inbreeding – but it is also great for us to see new lions! At the moment we have what looks to be a loose coalition of 3 males, consisting of one named Mphosa (he has different coloured eyes, which could have been caused by trauma to the side of the head from a hunt or even another male) and two others which are very light in colour and much larger than Mphosa. We call these two the Skukutsu males and they are truly a sight to behold – their sheer size is enough to intimidate one. We are encountering them more and more and hope that they will take over this area so we will be able to see them more regularly in the future but there are no guarantees in the bush. Time will tell!