The Tsalala Female Lion Makes A Profound Return To Londolozi – Londolozi Blog

For those who have been meticulously keeping score, the news of the Tsalala Female’s recent activities should bring a significant degree of excitement. After all, the movements of a celebrated lioness like her are a point of fixation here at Londolozi, especially since she has been missing in action (M.I.A.) for a while. It is a relief to confirm she is doing very well, or let’s rather say relatively well.

Her recent absence was a result of a pregnancy following a mating bout with the Plains Camp Male Lions. She then gave birth to her second litter of cubs in late September on Singita, using the same familiar koppie of rocks that she had denned in previously. Like we have recently done with the Kambula Pride’s den, the area was zoned to give her some space and time. A week later, she moved the cubs to a new den site, but sadly, that was the last sighting that was had of them.

Losing a litter is a brutal reset for a lioness, and although we are unsure of what happened to them, it could explain her immediate and pressing need to secure a new alliance.

A Search for the Dominant Suitor

Soon after losing cubs, a mother will come into heat again and will set out in search of the dominant males to begin the mating process again. It was on Wednesday last week that we first saw her tracks and found her calling on eastern Londolozi, an area she hasn’t been seen in for a long time. I then joined her the following evening, Thursday the 20th, in Fluffies Clearing. Firstly, just to confirm that it was in fact her, but more importantly, to try and see if she still had sucklemarks. Stay tuned for the full story in the #299th episode of the Virtual Safari as well.

Sitting tall and resting in the shade on a warm morning, the Tsalala Female truly is a stunning lioness.

Although the cubs have not been seen, it doesn’t mean they are gone. Not able to get a good, clear view of her tummy, but my gut feeling was that it didn’t look like there were any fresh sucklemarks, indicating that her mission this far east was for one reason: she was looking for a mate. While we sat with her, she roared. Advertising to any male within earshot, lion roars are known to be heard from 5-8km away, that she was here and looking for a mate. As soon as she picked up the sound of other lions roaring to the west, she headed straight toward them. We heard her calling throughout the night.

The sunrise, her efforts had paid off. We found her right by the entrance to the Londolozi camps, accompanied by both Gijima Males. This is, to my knowledge, the first meeting between the Tsalala Female and the new dominant male lions of this area. Given the immense size of the Plains Camp Males (her previous mates) and now the colossal size of the Gijimas, it is becoming clear that the Tsalala Female has a type, and I don’t blame her. A reliable and admirable preference for the largest, most imposing specimens the Sabi Sand has to offer, great genetics to have your offspring carry forward.