It wasn’t long however before the females were once again up and began prowling the Tree Tops area leaving the cubs behind in the tall grass.  Unfortunately for the avid huntresses though Kenge’s 2 little (and awfully loud!) cubs are now at a very mobile and curious age following the pride wherever they go, including hunts. Although it is fantastic to see the 2 little cubs integrate even further into pride life their often-piercing cries and play bouts do muck up the lionesses hunting opportunities at times!

On the 19^th we located Milo in Amboseli who appeared to be in the same boat as our research team-looking for the elusive females. He struck the most regal of poses, sniffing the morning breeze indicating the females were perhaps in the Maasai Mara area upwind of Sir.  But we didn’t find them.  The next day and after two even longer hours searching we spotted the girls resting off the beaten track in Maasai Mara causing a serious anxiety spin for some nearby impala. After an early morning slumber the lionesses rose reluctantly to their paws and headed off towards WH1 in search of some game and most likely going AWOL again before the next research session!

We’ve begun to catch the Ngamo lions being fairly active during midday hours these last few days. With no large kill made for a week it appears the girls are beginning to try their luck within their normal sleeping hours for hunting opportunities.  On the 16^th we stumbled across Nala at water hole 2 stalking some nearby impala and zebra. At first we suspected sister Narnia to be in the area also locked onto the herd, however it soon became apparent Nala as on her own hunting mission.  As the game began to move off into Etosha, Nala broke her cover and stealthily glided close past our vehicle, muscles twitching with anticipation.

The herd, still contently grazing, moved behind a small thicket creating a perfect ambush opportunity for Nala. Nala decided to take advantage of the cover and began to move in closer upon them. Unfortunately though one pesky impala had spotted her. The impala quickly alerted her fellow herd members and all fled in unison.

Appearing most frustrated Nala turned abruptly on her heels in the opposite direction and headed into Serengeti East. Little did the miffed lioness realise though that the hunter had become the hunted. The large impala herd followed Nala closely as she skulked away into the grass. The zebra snorted whilst the impala scraped their hooves upon the ground defensively. Following a predator and making themselves visible may seem a foolish move, but a predator you can see is far less dangerous than one you cannot!

Sometimes AT1 can be found with the adults

And sometimes with the cubs

We took a look at who her nearest neighbour has been when the pride is observed since the beginning of the year.  Dad is obviously a little daunting for AT1 and he ranks lowest of the adults as the lion she is most likely to be closest to.  She is also clearly avoiding the current mothers of the group (Ashanti and Kenge) who at this time are highly protective of their cubs, and occasionally very grouchy, especially when they have sharp teeth clamped to their teats.  Former favourite Narnia has dropped down the list below aunt Kwali.  In second place is Nala with Phyre her most frequent nearest neighbour. AT1 has clearly understood which side her bread is buttered and is sticking close to the alpha female of the pride, although that situation is likely to change when Phyre too becomes a mother (expected) in the near future.  This pattern is also mirrored when looking at which lions AT1 greets most often.  As for which lions greet AT1; its Narnia, a lowly lion in the pecking order of the Ngamo pride, that most frequently greets our young lioness.

And there is clear favouritism between AT1 and the other cubs of the pride as well.  The interactions between AT1 and KE4 and AS4 are few and far between, although both will occasionally entice a play bout.  Young male AS5 comes second, but is least likely of the four cubs to start a play session with AT1, preferring to tackle smaller adversaries.

AT1 and KE3 however seem to have a little love affair going on.  AT1 is found with KE3 as her nearest neighbour more than the combined number of times she is found nearest any other cub.  And the number of social interactions between the pair are double than those with any other.

Occasionally it can all get a bit much, especially when the youngest members of the pride come in numbers.

And so, like any young lady, our precious AT1 finds a quiet spot away from all the others: just to be on her own with her thoughts (probably about what is for dinner)

Mothers Kenge and Ashanti have obviously had enough of their cub’s endless energy and, in need of break, left their cubs in a den on the 9^th.  The females, free of interruptions from demanding cubs, slept soundly and undisturbed for most of the day before setting off upon their daily rounds in the late afternoon. Nala and Narnia lead the way south from the Kruger area into Etosha and all sleepily followed. However something suddenly woke Phyre up as she leapt in the air with a startled growl. Nala turned back to Phyre’s rescue to investigate the disturbance and bare her canines at whatever it was on the ground causing such a reaction. Eventually the lionesses lost interest and AT1 curiously approached too before catching up with the parade leading away. We pulled our vehicle up to where Phyre was given a shock, and where we suspected there was a snake of some sort.  We were bang on the money!  A 3-meter rock python spread out from his coils.  We’ve seen a few pythons in the release site over the past year and a half and although they are impressive they pose a serious threat to young cubs.  It’s therefore great to see the caution the lionesses use when approaching these monster snakes.

The 10^th started off with a spark and ended with a bang for the pride. We found the females moving through Serengeti East towards water hole 2 in pursuit of a large impala herd. The females, downwind, formed a perfect linear formation, hidden in the tall grass, some 100m from the herd and watched intently their prey’s movements.  Unfortunately the herd began to move further off towards water hole 1 and the lionesses obviously felt this time the odds were against them and took to some nearby acacia’s to sleep. However unbeknown to them a very young impala calf had been left by their mother some 70m from the pride. We watched with baited breath the entire day as the calf continuously rose and broke its cover, yet no lions spotted it.

By the afternoon we could no longer see the calf and the pride began to move off south along Route 66 with Kenge leading. As Kenge passed through an area of very tall grass Nala took up the rear and suddenly began to stalk. We spotted a lone impala, which we presumed to be the calf’s mother in the area and it seemed Nala was hot on her case. Then out of nowhere Nala and Phyre shot like a bullet over the open grass of the Camp area in pursuit of the previously seen impala calf!  The calf circled frantically trying to out run the hungry lionesses but all in vain. Phyre closed in upon the little lamb and grabbed it by the neck. She then sprinted away from the other startled pride members but Ashanti, Kenge and Kwali were not about to let a potential mouthful go to waste. The females scuffled momentarily over the catch and Kenge, Kwali, Ashanti and Phyre all managed to split the calf adequately. Most surprising was Milo’s reaction. He jogged over to the girls but rather than throwing his weight around as usual for a bite he merely sniffed at those with meat and moved off to wait until they had finished!

To no ones surprise not even a hoof was left for the rest of pride. By the time the lucky females began to clean themselves up the mini-Ngamo pride arrived. KE3, KE4, AS4 and AS5 ran frantically to Kenge and began to lick the blood from her whiskers. They had obviously heard the commotion and braved leaving the den alone in hopes of catching a meaty meal. However they had to make do with another milk-based dinner from Ashanti.

All must have been grateful for Phyre’s quick thinking and moves!

It has been alarmingly dry over December and January. Although we do not want a repeat of last years flooding the Ngamo vegetation has been in dire need of a shower or two. Thankfully our calls have been answered and the December rains have finally appeared in February.

We found the pride in the northern area of Etosha on the 3^rd, which appears to have become the new play area for the Ngamo cubs, and all were still finishing off breakfast.  By the afternoon, after another sweltering day, we found Milo panting in the shade of a small tree in the Camp area. We were unable to locate the rest of pride who had no doubt gone to also seek shade too, so spent the research session sympathetically watching Milo and his huge mane in the heat. Fortunately for Milo by 17:30 a thunderous storm cell was forming above Ngamo and in a matter of minutes the heavens opened up. The rain quite literally washed our research vehicle away as we tried to race away from the impending lightening.

We observed an unsuccessful hunt by the lionesses on the 5^th, although we must point out, little AS5 had decided to tag along with mum and his incessant cries probably did the hunt no favors. Ironically though it was he and the rest of the mini-Ngamo members that showed the adults what for by taking out and devouring (partly) a tortoise on the 6^th. We found AS4 knawing on the little teenage mutant ninja tortoise’s leg but we suspect that it was AT1 who perhaps caught and killed the reptile. Despite AS4’s best efforts she is not quite strong enough at 3 months old to break open a tortoise shell on her own. Still though, our hats go off to the little cubs!

Thanks to a fairly cool and damp night tracking the Ngamo pride the following morning was a doddle on the 31st. Our researcher and volunteers soon spotted fresh tracks, of all sizes, heading north towards water hole 1 and followed in pursuit. To no surprise we found the whole pride resting next to the lush water hole.

We’ve begun to notice that although crucial to cub development there appears to be some unfair suckling occurring within the little Ngamo crèche. On a daily basis we are observing Ashanti suckling all four cubs, often simultaneously and showing no signs of rebuffing Kenge’s cubs. Kenge on the other hand often puts little AS4 and 5 in their place when attempting to suckle her, and gives priority to her own cubs.

Allo-suckling is just one of the advantages cubs benefit from when within a crèche, however these incidents are more down to cheeky cubs stealing a free meal than a lioness feeling maternal towards the cubs of other mothers. As a result of her willingness to suckle all four cubs often Ashanti has begun to lose weight quite quickly. If she were to lose a drastic amount she would soon stop producing milk leaving her own two younger cubs in quite a predicament.   However, after contemplating this Ashanti and the pride put our researcher’s concerns to rest (yet again) as all were found on a demolished zebra kill on the 1^st.  Only Milo, Ashanti, Kenge and cubs were still feeding whilst the others were presumed to have left to go and drink. Whilst Milo huffed and puffed over his meal mini-Milo (AS5) was fully enjoying having ribs for breakfast!

Eventually the pride regrouped by water hole 2 and we were very pleased to see KE3 and 4 have their fill from their own mother.

Soon the January rains began to roll in over Ngamo. AS4 and AS5 bounced into the long grass for shelter and were soon followed by KE3 and KE4.

After a good soaking the rain began to ease up and this sent the cubs into a whirlwind of energy. Kenge looked on as AS5 shimmied some 3m up a nearby tree. KE3 soon could not resist the temptation of little AS5’s tail dangling and proceed to clamber up after him for a good tug. This monkey-ing around continued throughout the morning session until all cubs were adequately tired out.

By the afternoon we were struggling to find the rest of the pride. We trawled through Kruger, Tree Tops and the Valley to no avail when suddenly our researcher spotted a flash of gold racing through the undergrowth of Hwange. We soon caught up with the commotion to find Ashanti holding a baby impala between her jaws. AT1 and Kwali were following closely behind but kept a respectable distance from the hungry mother. Ashanti then settled down under a nearby bush and tucked into her well-earned snack. After a mere 10mins it was as if the impala had not even touch the sides! Ashanti moved off after cleaning up any crumbs and left poor AT1 sniffing somberly at the ground.

On the 27^th we rolled once again along route 66 this time to find Ashanti with her brood accompanied by Phyre and AT1. Whilst the adults and AT1 slept AS4 and AS5 tumbled around with one another before breaking for breakfast. However Ashanti was not at all impressed with her cub’s brazened approach to suckle and repositioned. It wasn’t long before AS5 announced his protests very loudly and incessantly to this. His efforts however proved most successful and Ashanti rolled onto her back offering a meal for the two cubs.

At lunchtime we thought we were in for the ultimate chase and catch scene. Kwali and Kenge were located by water hole 2 vigilant to a large herd of impala. Kenge appeared to flank left around the water hole into the long grass whilst Kwali held fire in the small thicket some 50m from the herd. After TWO HOURS of watching, poised over binoculars it appeared Kenge might have gotten side tracked with other engagements leaving poor Kwali stuck in the thicket. Although a fantastic huntress there was a good 30m of open space for Kwali to somehow pass through without being seen. Eventually Kwali settled down and the herd began to move off further into Serengeti East.

We returned in the afternoon in high hopes of further hunting but Kwali, obviously fed up with hunting in the midday sun went and settled alongside Ashanti and co. Once again AS4 and AS5 provided some comedy gold for our research team climbing more trees and pulling more tails. It is beginning to seem that AS4 is the most confident and boisterous of the two. She decided to launch an all-mighty attack on her brother. These two youngsters will no doubt be causing more chaos for the pride as they grow more and more confident.

On Sunday (22^nd January) morning the whole Ngamo pride were all resting together at waterhole 1.  As Ashanti and Nala watched impala grazing through bushes in the distance AS4 and AS5 were playing close by together with KE3 and KE4. Ever since Ashanti began introducing her two young cubs to the pride our Researcher has been avidly trying to determine the sexes of our two newest additions and today it was finally confirmed.  It is not such an easy task to perform as their little rears and tails move around so often but it appears that, after a spell of all female cubs being born in the site, including AS4, Milo finally has a son! AS5 is a beautiful boy and we are sure he will grow up to be every bit as handsome as his dad.

As midday arrived and Ashanti, Kenge, Phyre and AT1 continued to sleep off yesterday’s big meal Kwali, Nala and Narnia still found the energy to watch and stalk impala and zebra that were wandering through Masai Mara, completely unaware of their spectators.  Luckily for the zebra and impala however just watching was about all the girls would be doing today as they soon lost interest in the herd ahead of them and returned to laze with the rest of their pride members, rising occasionally for a quick drink before returning to flop all over each other where they slept until the sun began to set.

Monday (23^rd January) was another lazy day in Ngamo and on entering the site in the morning we found Nala, Narnia, AT1, Phyre, Ashanti and Kwali continuing to rest in Masai Mara not very far from waterhole 1 indicating that they probably had quite a lazy night too.  By mid-morning they finally began to rise and with Ashanti leading the way Phyre, Narnia, Nala, Kwali and AT1 all went for a stroll through Masai Mara towards Serengeti West.  The reason for their procession was soon apparent as they stopped at the old remains of Friday’s zebra carcass and began to chew at the bones for the last scraps they could find.  Meanwhile Kenge, KE3 and KE4 remained at waterhole 1 where they stayed for the rest of the afternoon.  As the day drew to an end Milo, who had so far not been seen today, appeared walking from Serengeti East towards Etosha where Kenge and their cubs were now playing.  It was only a fleeting visit from dad and although he sat with Kenge for just a short while it still gave his cubs enough time to excitedly clamber all over him before he began to lose his patience and he rose once again and walked away into the sun.

On Tuesday (24^th January) it was our younger pride members that kept us entertained as while Milo, Narnia, Phyre, Ashanti, Kwali, Kenge and AT1 all spent their day resting in Etosha,  KE3, KE4, AS4 and AS5 made their own fun playing and chewing on twigs and branches.  It was not too long before AT1 joined in their fun but just as she was beginning to settle into a bit of play fighting with AS4 she opened her mouth and bit softly at the lively cub.  Well at least she thought she bit AS4, to her total surprise she had accidentally bitten Ashanti on the nose!  Realising her mistake she quickly stood up looking quite startled at herself and moved away before Ashanti could react to the young lioness’ playful advances.   By early evening our young cubs were still full of energy and were practicing techniques that will help them hunt in the future.  As they stalked and ankle-tapped each other the four little lions were gaining more and more confidence as they strayed a bit further away from mum chasing each other and rolling through the grass.  Of course it doesn’t matter how much fun they seem to have play-fighting, nothing seems so much fun as climbing a tree and while Ashanti relaxed as the sun began to set on Ngamo AS5 showed off his climbing skills to a very proud mum indeed.

Friday 20^th January and a very special little lion turned one year old today. Happy birthday AT1!  By now the lions were more than ready for a meal and as the sun began to warm the day Phyre, Kenge, Nala, Narnia together with the birthday girl all took a stroll along Route 66 in search of prey.  Ashanti and Kwali were resting together in Serengeti East and as the girls made their way along the road they all came together and continued their search.  It was not before long that Kwali seemed to pick up on a scent and she walked briskly, visibly switching into hunting mode.  The rest of the girls, seeing Kwali become so alert, also followed and they made their way deeper into Serengeti East.  Phyre soon took the lead and began to run and as she did Nala and Kenge flanked to the left and hid amongst trees, all the while our Researcher unaware of what it was they were hunting.  As they all made their way through Hwange and as they neared the boundary we soon saw the reason for their excitement but alas the lions would have no success again today.  The girls resorted to their second favourite pastime and slept through the afternoon, only stirring as the sun began to set and bringing with it a rather busy period of grooming and licking, reaffirming the strong bond our pride females all have with each other.

On Saturday (21^st January) morning the pride’s wait for a good meal was over as Milo, Phyre and Kenge were in Masai Mara at a zebra kill.  Nala, Narnia, Kwali, Ashanti and AT1 were spotted in the near distance having had their fill and carrying their fat bellies to rest at waterhole 1.  After a quick drink Nala, Narnia and Ashanti made their way towards Etosha, quite possibly for Ashanti to meet up with her cubs who we had seen earlier hiding in the safety of the long grass.  By mid-morning KE3 and KE4 had joined mum and dad at the zebra carcass.  Milo was being his usual greedy self and clutching on to the carcass while resting.  Although even our dominant pride male has a soft side for his offspring and, as he has done previously with AT1, he allowed only KE3 to eat from his claimed meal, growling at Phyre as she got closer to him and his cub.

By the afternoon Kenge, presuming Milo must be ready to give up his hold on the carcass by now, made her way over to eat but as usual Milo was still not willing to share and he and Kenge fought with Milo biting into Kenge’s back as she grabbed hold of the carcass.  The tussle frightened little KE3 and KE4 and they ran away looking on at mum and dad and crying out.   A few minutes later Kenge, realising the last few mouthfuls were not worth the trouble, gave up her hold on the zebra and she returned to her young cubs reassuring them with a mini head rub that all was well as the day came to an end.

These images have been taken by photographic volunteer Carole Deschuymere.  If you would like the opportunity to be in her position to get photos such as these, then visit our volunteer page and click on the link “Wildlife Photography” listed under Antelope Park.