Mapogo lion coalition

Last updated

The Mapogo lion coalition was a band of male South African lions that controlled the Sabi Sand region in Kruger National Park between 2006 and 2012. Researchers named the coalition for a brutal security company. [1]

Contents

The coalition became infamous for their sheer power and strength in taking over and dominating an area of approximately 70,000 ha (170,000 acres). It is believed the Mapogos killed in excess of 40 lions and cubs in a little over a year. The statistics may be higher given their coverage of such large territories. [2] At its peak, the coalition consisted of six males: the leader Makulu (also spelled as Makhulu), [3] Rasta, Scar, Pretty Boy, Kinky Tail and Mr. T. [4]

History

The Mapogo coalition originated from Mala Mala from what was called the "Eyrefield Pride" (Sparta Pride) and moved into the Western Sector in 2006. The Mapogo lions followed a recent trend in the Sabi Sand Reserve of mega pride male lion coalitions. The five related brothers were sired by a similar mega pride coalition of five male lions. [5] In their quest to dominate the area, the six lions killed approximately 40 other lions which included many cubs, females, and rival adult males. [6]

The oldest Mapogo male, Makulu, is believed to be the paternal half-brother to the other five lions. [7] The story is that the original Sparta pride lost a male sub-adult of 20 to 21 months of age in May/June 2000 and in July 2000, this male of about the same age latched on to the original pride. [8] Though not readily accepted by the lionesses, the West Street Males tolerated him and did not kill him, even though typically, intruding males of his age would be chased off or killed. Field experts believe a likely reason for his acceptance into the pride was because he may have been the offspring of one of the West Street Males and a lioness from another pride (therefore making him the Mapogos' half brother). [9] .

In the first months of 2006, the five subadult lions and Makulu left their pride. They now had to fight for themselves, but by sticking together they increased their survival chances. Whilst living among themselves, the lions learned to be successful hunters. As they grew in size and experience, they were able to take down large prey such as hippos, young rhinos, and even giraffes. According to Dave Salmoni, successfully taking down cape buffalo was their "key to success".[ citation needed ] During the buffalo hunts, Kinky Tail (also called Shaka) and Mr. T (also called Satan) were often observed being more aggressive in bringing down the buffalo.

Rise of the Mapogo coalition

The Mapogos first pride clash was in 2006. The Mapogo lions entered the northern Sabi Sand, which was ruled by four dominant males. Immediately upon arrival, the Mapogos managed to kill one of the males, and the remaining three were driven off. [10] With the Ottawa pride's male lion driven off, three lionesses and 11 cubs remained. The six Mapogos quickly found and killed all 11 Ottawa cubs, with reports of Mr. T even eating some of the cubs, despite cannibalistic behavior in lions being uncommon.

With all competition eliminated, the Mapogos had successfully controlled eight prides. They were the dominant male coalition of Sabi Sand and killed more than 100 lions from the neighbouring prides during their rule.

Split in the coalition

The coalition ruled a large territory, however their internal functions were bumpy and riddled with internal competition and rivalry. Many fights were observed between them, particularly with Mr. T, Kinky Tail and Makulu, both of whom had something of a large inter-rivalry. This rivalry escalated into a heavy fight between Mr. T and Makulu where Makulu was able to bite through one of Mr. T's paws and win the fight. This fight may have caused or drastically accelerated the split. In 2008, soon after the fight and for the first time ever recorded, the coalition split into 2 smaller coalitions with Kinky Tail and Mr. T moving out to the coalition's eastern territory and Makulu, Rasta, Scar and Pretty Boy staying in the west. There was an overlap region among the two territories, and the two coalitions occasionally met up with most interactions being friendly; however, it was clear that the two coalitions had very distinct regions and most likely wouldn't reform in the foreseeable future. [11]

Arrival of the Majingilane

Mr. T and Kinky Tail were then seen patrolling and guarding their territory for two years, managing to fight off other rival lions. However, in June 2010, a coalition of five male lions named the Majingilanes entered in Mapogo territory to take over. The five males were witnessed scent-marking and roaring loudly near the Mapogo's territory. In a buffalo hunt, Kinky Tail and Mr. T were able to isolate the youngest of Majingilane males who was on lookout and began chasing him. Soon they caught the intruder and Mr. T bit down on the male's neck, Kinky Tail ripped apart the male's groin area inflicting tears and bleeding. The Majingilane male tried to fight back. Eventually Kinky Tail and Mr. T managed to break the 5th Majingilane lion's spine and he was left immobilized and left to die a few hours later.

Kinky Tail's death

Later that same night, a filming crew witnessed the four remaining younger Majingilane lions on the move. Two of them were exposed to Kinky Tail, who immediately charged on them all by himself. They ran with KT on their tail, and the remaining two Majingilane lions came up behind KT. Eventually on a dirt road, under a cloud of dust, the four Majingilanes had pinned down Kinky Tail. The four males immediately started to bite and rip apart Kinky Tail. One lion was biting at his neck, another at his back; the third bit off Kinky Tail's testicles and genitalia. The Majingilanes managed to successfully snap Kinky Tail's spine, thus immobilizing him and leaving him with no chance of survival. Mr. T eventually arrived and attempted to rescue and fight off the Majingilanes, but was outnumbered and outmaneuvered and forced to flee. Two Majingilanes attempted to track Mr. T, but were unsuccessful and returned to kill Kinky Tail. The four lions had started eating most of Kinky Tail's hind legs and his entire tail. He was seen taking his last breath while being eaten alive. During the altercation, Mr. T attempted again to save his brother.

Mr. T and his brothers reunited

After the death of his brother, Mr. T headed West to return to the rest of the old coalition. Field guides were afraid the 4 would chase him off and kill him, but instead they welcomed him back and he managed to peacefully coexist with the other 4 again. However, soon after being accepted back, Mr. T began to start to track down, massacre and eat his brothers cubs. His brothers did nothing to stop him and Mr. T quickly began mating with the pride females; taking over the coalition as the new king of the west. [12] Then shortly after this, Rasta disappeared from the coalition. The reason why is unknown, but it's thought he was either killed by poachers or the Majingilane. Around the same time, Scar left the game reserve and was shot by locals shortly after, cutting the Mapogos down to just 3 members: Makulu (14), Pretty Boy (12) and Mr. T(12). [13]

Death of Mr. T

On March 16 2012, a new rival coalition called the Selatis would arrive in the last of Mapogo territory through the south. The four of them were able to single out and attack a single member of the Mapogos – Mr. T. By the time the film crew and wildlife officials came to the scene, Mr. T had already suffered the attack. He had many wounds all over his front and shoulders as well as a large bite taken into his spine that paralyzed his back legs. The four Selatis would attack him in a consistent pattern of distracting Mr. T from the front to allow them to flank him, bite his spine and maul him for about 20 seconds. The Selatis would then stop, move away, wait, then begin the assault again. This pattern was repeated several times before the Selatis then left the crippled Mr. T to die by the road. [14]

The last remaining Mapogos, Makulu and Pretty Boy had to leave their territory to Selatis, fought a coalition of two Kruger males (Freddy and Limper) to occupy their territory and were driven off their territory. One of the Kruger males (Limper) later died due to injuries from Makulu. They were sighted in 2012 side by side, entering the Kruger National Park through the gate attributed to Paul Kruger. The remaining two were once again seen feeding on a buffalo in October–November 2012. In January 2013, Makulu was seen for the last time alone at Mala Mala, neighboring his old haunt, the Sabi Sand Reserve. At this point, he was almost 15 years old and largely exceeded the average life expectancy for male lions. [15]

In film

Daniel Huertas directed the documentary Brothers in Blood: The Lions of Sabi Sand , which was released in 2015 in the UK. The documentary summarized the 16-year span of the rise and eventual fall of the Mapogo coalition. [9] The documentary aired as an eight-episode series in the United States on Animal Planet.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lion</span> Large cat native to Africa and Asia

The lion is a large cat of the genus Panthera, native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult male lions are larger than females and have a prominent mane. It is a social species, forming groups called prides. A lion's pride consists of a few adult males, related females, and cubs. Groups of female lions usually hunt together, preying mostly on large ungulates. The lion is an apex and keystone predator; although some lions scavenge when opportunities occur and have been known to hunt humans, lions typically do not actively seek out and prey on humans.

<i>Born Free</i> 1966 film by James Hill

Born Free is a 1966 British drama film starring the real-life couple Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers as Joy and George Adamson, another real-life couple, who raised Elsa the Lioness, an orphaned lion cub, to adulthood and released her into the wilderness of Kenya. The film was produced by Open Road Films Ltd. and Columbia Pictures. The screenplay, written by blacklisted Hollywood writer Lester Cole, was based upon Joy Adamson's 1960 non-fiction book Born Free. The film was directed by James Hill and produced by Sam Jaffe and Paul Radin. Born Free, and its musical score, by John Barry, as well as the title song, with lyrics by Don Black and sung by Matt Monro, won numerous awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African buffalo</span> Bovine species

The African buffalo is a large sub-Saharan African bovine. There are five subspecies that are recognized as being valid. Syncerus caffer caffer, the Cape buffalo, is the nominotypical subspecies, and the largest one, found in Southern Africa and East Africa. S. c. nanus is the smallest subspecies, common in forest areas of Central Africa and West Africa, while S. c. brachyceros is in West Africa and S. c. aequinoctialis is in the savannas of East Africa. The adult African buffalo's horns are its characteristic feature: they have fused bases, forming a continuous bone shield across the top of the head, referred to as a "boss".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White lion</span> Rare colour mutation of the Kruger subspecies of lion

The white lion is a rare colour mutation of the lion, specifically the Southern African lion. White lions in the area of Timbavati are thought to have been indigenous to the Timbavati region of South Africa for centuries, although the earliest recorded sighting in this region was in 1938. White lions first became known to the English-speaking world in 1977 through the book The White Lions of Timbavati.

<i>Pride</i> (2004 film) British TV series or programme

Pride is a 2004 television comedy-drama film about two lion cubs as they grow up and face the harsh realities of adulthood. Produced by the BBC and shown on A&E in the U.S., the film features the voices of numerous British actors and uses CGI technology to enhance footage of actual lions and other animals. Jim Henson's Creature Shop provided the digital effects and animatronics for the film. It was shot in Tanzania's Serengeti National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liuwa Plain National Park</span> National park in Zambia

Liuwa Plain National Park is a 3,369-square-kilometre (1,301 sq mi) national park in Zambia's Western Province. "Liuwa" means "plain" in the local Liuwa language, a dialect of Lozi language, and the plains originally served as a hunting ground for Lubosi Lewanika, the Litunga of the Lozi people. The area was designated as a protected area by Lubosi Lewanika in the early 1880s, and as a national park in 1972, when Zambia's government took over management. The nonprofit conservation organization African Parks has managed Liuwa in partnership with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife and the Barotse Royal Establishment since 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamilton Zoo</span> Zoo in Hamilton, New Zealand

Hamilton Zoo is the main zoological garden of Hamilton, New Zealand. Covering 25 hectares, it is situated on Brymer Road in the Hamilton suburb of Rotokauri, on the outskirts of the metropolitan area towards the northwest. It is owned by the Hamilton City Council with the Department of Recreation and Welfare handling the day-to-day running of the site.

<i>Panthera leo melanochaita</i> Lion subspecies

Panthera leo melanochaita is a lion subspecies in Southern and East Africa. In this part of Africa, lion populations are regionally extinct in Lesotho, Djibouti and Eritrea, and are threatened by loss of habitat and prey base, killing by local people in retaliation for loss of livestock, and in several countries also by trophy hunting. Since the turn of the 21st century, lion populations in intensively managed protected areas in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe have increased, but declined in East African range countries. In 2005, a Lion Conservation Strategy was developed for East and Southern Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mala Mala Game Reserve</span>

Mala Mala is a game reserve located within the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, Mpumalanga province, South Africa. It is the largest and the oldest private big five game reserve in South Africa, It covers around 130 km2 or 15 000 hectares of land. In Xitsonga, the name Malamala means Kudu, it was named so because of the abundance of these animals within the game reserve. The Tsonga people, who occupied the land before the establishment of the game reserve, were forcibly removed from this land during the early 1900s and were dumped at Bushbuckridge. The Nwandlamhlarhi Community successfully claimed Malamala game reserve and the land was restored to them in 2015 when President Jacob Zuma handed them their land in a Government ceremony. The Tsonga people were also forcibly removed from neighbouring game reserves such as Skukuza, Satara, Ulusaba, Manyeleti, Protea Hotel Kruger Gate, Hoyo Hoyo Tsonga Lodge and may more in Southern Kruger. The Tsonga people are still waiting to be given back these lands by the Government after the finalization of their land claim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skukuza</span> Town in Mpumalanga, South Africa

Skukuza, a town in Mpumalanga located 57 km east of Hazyview at the confluence of the N'waswitshaka and Sabie Rivers, is the administrative headquarters of the Kruger National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sabi Sabi</span> Private game reserve in South Africa

Sabi Sabi is a private game reserve in South Africa, situated in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve which flanks the south western section of the Kruger National Park. The Sabi Sand Reserve is one of the parks that make up the Greater Kruger National Park.

Battle at Kruger is an eight-minute amateur wildlife video that depicts a confrontation between a herd of Cape buffalo, a small group of young lions from a pride, and two crocodiles. The video was shot in September 2004 at the Transport Dam watering hole in Kruger National Park, South Africa, during a safari guided by Frank Watts. It was filmed by videographer David Budzinski and photographer Jason Schlosberg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lion hunting</span>

Lion hunting is the act of hunting lions. Lions have been hunted since antiquity.

Lion Sands Private Game Reserve, also known as Lion Sands Reserve, was established in 1933 by Guy Aubrey Chalkley, and forms part of the Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve as well as the Kruger National Park, which together with some other parks make up the Greater Kruger National Park in South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulusaba Private Game Reserve</span>

Ulusaba Private Game Reserve, owned by Sir Richard Branson as part of the Virgin Limited Edition luxury property portfolio, consists of about 13,500 ha of land set in the heart of the Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve. This private game reserve borders on the sprawling Kruger National Park in South Africa's Mpumalanga province and is home to an abundance of wildlife. Ulusaba means fearful in the local Tsonga (Shangaan) language and it was a name given to the Sabie River by the Shangaan people. The Sabie River was originally called Ulusaba by the Shangaan simply because there was once a large concentration of dangerous Nile crocodile in the river. Before the establishment of the Kruger National Park, Ulusaba was once a home of Tsonga-Shangaan people, the Shangaan were evicted from this land when the Kruger National Park was established and were relocated in nearby villages adjacent Ulusaba Private Game Reserve.

<i>African Cats</i> 2011 American documentary film

African Cats is a 2011 nature documentary film about a pride of lions and a family of cheetahs trying to survive in the African savannah directed by Alastair Fothergill and Keith Scholey. The film was released theatrically by Disneynature on Earth Day, April 22, 2011. The film is narrated by Samuel L. Jackson. A portion of the proceeds for the film were donated to the African Wildlife Foundation and their effort to preserve Kenya's Amboseli Wildlife Corridor. The film's initiative with the African Wildlife Foundation is named "See African Cats, Save the Savanna", and as of May 2011, ticket sales translated into 50,000 acres of land saved in Kenya.

The Kruger National Park is a South African National Park and one of the largest game reserves in Africa. Originally known as The Sabi Game Reserve, it became a game reserve in 1898. The park became known as Kruger National Park in 1926, when it was named after Paul Kruger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sabi Sand Game Reserve</span> Reserve in South Africa

Sabi Sand Game Reserve is located adjacent to the Kruger National Park in the Lowveld of Mpumalanga, South Africa. Officially named Sabi Sand Wildtuin, the Sabi Sand Game Reserve consists of a group of private game reserves. The Newington Gate is at 24°52′9″S31°24′16″E and west of the Kruger Gate and Skukuza camp of Kruger Park. Other entrances are Gowrie Gate in the far north and Shaws Gate in the south.

WildEarth is a British-South African broadcasting and conservation company primarily based at Djuma Game Reserve, part of the Sabi Sand Game Reserve in South Africa, who focus on connecting people with African Wildlife. The company is best known for its live drives, which take place twice a day in Sabi Sands and Pridelands. Former locations included Tswalu Kalahari, Karongwe Private Game Reserve, Phinda, Ngala and Arathusa.

References

  1. ↑ "Meet the lion coalitions & prides of the Greater Kruger". Africa Geographic. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  2. ↑ "BREAKING NEWS : 6 Mhangeni Breakaway Lionesses KILL Another Lioness". Sun Destinations - Discover Africa's Hidden Secrets. 3 April 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  3. ↑ "Makulu". Oxford Dictionaries. 4 June 2019. Archived from the original on 4 June 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  4. ↑ Canvas, African Travel (24 July 2018). "The History of the Infamous Sabi Sands Mapogo Lion Coalition". African Travel Canvas. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  5. ↑ "The Notorious Mapogo Lions Of The Sabi Sands". Secret Africa. 1 May 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  6. ↑ "The legend of the Mapogo lions". Africa Geographic. 25 July 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  7. ↑ Brothers in Blood: The Lions of Sabi Sand , retrieved 24 May 2023
  8. ↑ Peter (17 May 2008). "The Mapogo story". WildEarth. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  9. 1 2 Brothers in Blood: The Lions of Sa Sand , retrieved 26 April 2019
  10. ↑ Your Animal Planet (6 June 2018), Lions of Sabi Sands - Episode 3 | The Six Gangsters , retrieved 19 April 2019
  11. ↑ Your Animal Planet (20 June 2018), Lions of Sabi Sands - Episode 5 | Kings of the Sabi Sands , retrieved 27 March 2023
  12. ↑ Your Animal Planet (11 July 2018), Lions of Sabi Sands - Episode 8 | New King of the West , retrieved 27 March 2023
  13. ↑ "Brothers In Blood - The Lions Of Sabi Sand". YouTube. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  14. ↑ Your Animal Planet (18 July 2018), Lions of Sabi Sands - Episode 9 | The End of the Mapogos , retrieved 27 March 2023
  15. ↑ "Legend Lives On: Mapogo Lions over the Last Year". 26 April 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.