The translocation of lions is a sensitive topic that we have discussed in the two most recent editions of the Real Safari newsletter. The first was the unfortunate story of a lion that was translocated from a private lodge in the Eastern Cape to the Dinokeng Reserve near Pretoria. The second was about handsome Jack, the lion who was moved from the Addo Elephant Park (AEP) to Shamwari reserve last month.
All indications are that Jack arrived at his new home and he appears to be well.
Circumstances dictate that this edition is dedicated to Tom, Dick and Harry – the last three lions born in the main section of the AEP.
The three male cubs were born to Josie sometime in March/April 2017. Since then all the lionesses in the main section have been kept on contraceptives as park management is currently keeping the population low. At the moment there are only five lions in the main section of the park.
Visitors were delighted with the three young ones when Josie finally let them out of hiding at about six weeks old.
Social media posts were sprinkled with comments of adoration such as (and these are actual posts): “Adorable little angels”, “Wow … how awesome!!!” and “Cutie Pies”.
They certainly deserved the adulation as few animals are cuter than tiny lion cubs falling over each other as they played, ran and struggled for a place to suckle on their doting mother. The internet was inundated with pictures of the cubs as visitors were treated to frequent sightings of the new stars.
Adult lions are usually difficult to spot during the day when most visitors are driving around because they sleep during the day. Cubs, on the other hand are ready to play any time of the day or night.
Park guides came up with the names, Tom, Dick and Harry and they stuck – but most people had difficulty knowing which name belonged to which cub. It was a collective name that Addo Addicts could use when talking about the three of them.
They had a charmed existence for their first few months. Josie who is only partially sighted was a good mother who devoted herself to protecting her young ones. Her two daughters from a previous litter, Dawn and Duffy born in December 2014, helped with the hunting and protection duties.
Josie and her two daughters, together with the three cubs made up a well-fed pride living in a secure environment in the south of the AEP.
One of my most memorable sightings of the pride was along Vukani Loop in the early morning. Ilza (wife) and I had spent the night at the Matyholweni Camp as my birthday treat so we were able to be on the road earlier than if we had arrived at the park entrance. The cubs were about six months old.
The pride was on the east side of the dirt road, playing around and gradually deciding where to cross. It was a wonderful opportunity to observe the lions close up – most of the time only five to ten metres from my car. But it was early morning, so the sun was still low and the cubs were fooling around on the east side. This meant that I had to take pictures into the sunlight streaming through the bushes - almost an impossible task to get the settings right, but I struggled valiantly.
The cubs hid in the tall grass and then suddenly pounced on their siblings. Dawn and Duffy patiently nudged them along behind their mother. It was an incredible moment viewing pride interactions, but it was a stern test of my mettle as a photographer.
Clearly not comfortable in the open, they crossed the road hurriedly. Photographic opportunities on a road are mixed because although visibility is relatively good, such an obvious human construction as a backdrop is a blight on the image of wild nature.
At one point, there were lions on both sides of the car and in the road ahead of us. For a few moments it was hard to choose which one to attempt to photograph. Then they were all on the west side of the road – walking away only to show us their rear ends.
The whole sighting probably only lasted for about ten minutes – but with adrenaline surging through my body and trying to take pictures with both my cameras at the same time, it is an incomparable rush that feels like it is all over in a few seconds.
Relocation to Madikwe
In the first two years of their lives, Tom Dick and Harry lived in what could be described as a lion paradise. Their light coloured manes were just beginning to fill out and they had learnt to hunt by themselves.
Then things changed. Park management decided that they could no longer stay as there were too many males in the park. There was always a very real risk that an older male might kill one, or all three before they could reach maturity.
In the middle of May 2019, a private company sponsored a three-and-a-half hour flight for the three sub-adult lions to a new home at Madikwe Game Reserve near the South African border with Botswana.
They arrived safely at their destination where park ecologists were eagerly anticipating new genes for their existing prides.
Sadly, two of the three boys recovered from sedation more rapidly than the third. The two were upset by the unusual behaviour of their brother as he struggled against the drug. His erratic actions provoked them to viciously attack him and ultimately cause his death.
Then there were only two. The Madikwe staff dropped the Tom, Dick or Harry names and referred to them as the Addo Boys.
People linked to Addo have always been keen to find out how ‘their boys’ were doing at Madikwe, and occasionally someone would visit and post news on Addo social media pages. It appears that the two brothers had lean moments early on, but they were soon thriving and comfortable in the north of their new reserve.
The two Addo Boys grew bigger and stronger. They gradually expanded the size of the territory they commanded and soon a large part of the north west of Madikwe was theirs.
There were already two dominant males in the park: Kwandwe (different lion, but same name as the lion in the Dinokeng newsletter) and Monomogolo. It seemed that soon there could be a clash between the resident pair and the ever bolder Addo Boys.
The inevitable occurred in the middle of August last year – perhaps too early for the Addo Boys who had not yet reached their prime. They were lucky. They caught Kwandwe the lion alone.
Although they were big and powerful, they were not as large, or as battle-hardened as the dark-maned old boy. They attacked simultaneously with the one brother jumping onto Kwandwe’s back and the other going for a full frontal assault. They flung him to the ground with one trying to bite his spine in a typical lion life or death move.
The Addo Boys roughed him up and forced him to flee. That was their big mistake.
They say that elephants never forget – but then neither do lions.
Their inexperience allowed Kwandwe to live – a fatal mistake. He fled to the south-west of the park where he took several months to recover.
The Addo Boys did not understand their mistake. They carried on expanding their territory.
In March this year, Kwandwe got his revenge. He teamed up with his coalition partner, Monomogolo and they cornered the Addo Boys. The older lions were brutally efficient in their attack. They pinned Addo One to the ground with a massive set of jaws clamped around its neck while the other ripped into his mid-section. They tightened their grip and shook their heads.
Addo Two came around to try and save his brother but he was ineffectual against such ferocity. He was forced to run away while his brother was being torn apart. A link to a video recording of the battle can be found at the bottom of this page. I advise you NOT to watch it.
Alasdair Armstrong, a field guide at a lodge on Madikwe said he knew something was going on “when the radio started to get crazy”. After he found out what had happened, Armstrong said he was not disappointed that he and his guests had missed the epic fight of the lions.
He explained his feelings, "We know the dominant lions very well, we see them almost every day, and so the rangers have grown fond of these animals over time. We love them!" He was reluctant to visit the site of the battle where the dead body of the imposing lion lay torn to shreds on the savannah.
The remaining Addo Boy has kept a low profile since his brother’s death and it is unlikely that he will be able to take over a pride on his own. He could still be killed or perhaps wander around the bush trying to keep out of the way of the still dominant pair
I wonder what would have happened if Tom, Dick and Harry had been left with their mother at Addo.
Links:
Tom, Dick and Harry relocation on YouTube
The Addo Boys attack Kwandwe the lion – posting by Royal Madikwe Safari Lodge
Kwandwe and Monomogolo kill one of the Addo Boys – definitely NOT for the sensitive viewer