Lions – Page 9 – Ewaso Lions

Lions on Leopard Rock

Driving into Samburu National Reserve recently, we were treated to a lovely lion scene. In the distance we could see the prominent Leopard Rock on top of which were sitting what looked like lions. We drove up slowly and sure enough, we saw a small lion cub sitting at the top of Leopard Rock, and soon after 4 more cubs appeared. The 5 cubs were enjoying the last few minutes of the sun as it was about to set. We couldn’t see the mothers anywhere but the cubs did not appear to be too bothered that they were alone. They had a fantastic view of the plains around. This was the first time I have seen lions sitting on this well known rock formation – come to think of it, I have never seen a leopard here either. Maybe it should be renamed! Here are a few photos of the cubs.

Beautiful and Elusive Lioness Magilani Introduces Her Cubs

We were so fortunate to see Magilani and her 2 cubs in August. We saw her almost daily at her usual time of around 6:30 pm. Her cubs were curious at first to see who we were and what we were all about. Initially, she was also wary of our presence but eventually settled down and sat near us after realising we were not a threat. After 2 years of trying to get good identity photos of this special female, we have finally managed and a bigger bonus is seeing her cubs for the first time.

Observing and photographing lions in community areas is hard and we have only had about 30 sightings over the last 2 years. This has been the best month so far and we are thrilled to have finally observed this beautiful female and her cubs. We also had good fortune with our camera trap which took a great photo!

Magilani

Her 2 young cubs

One of the cubs

Captured on camera!

Ewaso Lions Mid-Year Report: News on Lions and Community Projects

Dear friends of Ewaso Lions,

We are pleased to present our Mid-Year Report to provide you with news from Samburu, information on our lion research and conservation activities, and to keep you posted on life in Camp. It’s been one of our most challenging field seasons yet – from severe drought to massive floods to increased threats to lions. The Ewaso Lions team pushes forward, working with communities, to ensure the long-term survival of Kenya’s top predators and other wildlife.

Lion News

We are currently monitoring close to 40 lions in the Ewaso ecosystem of Samburu. The lions did well during the drought of late 2009. All cubs survived and thrived when most other animals succumbed to the severity of the drought. Most of the females have cubs at the moment, including Magilani in Westgate. We are very excited to report that she was finally seen in April 2010 with two young cubs. She was last seen in August 2009, so it is a huge relief to see her again, especially with cubs.

Conflict:

Lions face high pressure from recent conflict. Lions are struggling to find wild prey and are turning to livestock. Recently in Westgate Conservancy, lions killed three camels; in response, we have held seven community meetings within the entire group ranch. We addressed the need to make bomas stronger with closed entrances so livestock does not escape and end up in predator territory. Herders need to be extra careful and avoid areas where lions are present. The meetings were well-received and the livestock owners have responded by reinforcing bomas to protect livestock better. We will be actively involved in a boma reinforcing project from May onwards thanks to support from our donors.

A lioness killed in retaliation by a person.

If conflict continues, things could get grim for the lions and we are working hard to continue with our awareness and education programmes. It is thanks to your donations that we are able to go out each day and hold meetings and travel around the group ranch talking to the communities about lions.

To read our blog on the increased conflict, click here.

Radio-Collaring:

After months of trying, we successfully collared the elusive male lion, Lguret, in late February. He was first collared in 2009 and it was time to replace his collar. It was no easy task to find him; we spent a total of 60 field days over the past eight months, averaging 12 hours each day, and driving nearly two thousand kilometers! Lguret now has a new radio/GPS tracking collar and we will be able to capture valuable movement data.

For photos and a detailed account on this collaring operation, click here.

Lguret, the radio-collared lion in Samburu.

We have begun to analyse the data from his old collar and preliminary results already show interesting patterns where he moved out of the reserves to areas where large numbers of livestock were present. Lguret was re-collared before the March floods and we are yet to know where he has gone during this time. We still have plans to collar at least four more individuals.

Collaring lions is very tough work and requires a lot of time and funds. We are grateful for all the donors who have assisted us so far and I urge you all to keep supporting us so we can monitor the Ewaso lions closely.

Camera Trapping:

Thanks to donors, we have acquired two camera traps for the project. Identifying individual predators in Westgate is difficult since they are nervous and often run away before we can take good identity photos. Plus, the candid photos of wildlife in the absence of humans may give us insight into some of their natural behaviours. Each night we place the camera traps in the Conservation Area of Westgate in strategic locations where we know lions, hyenas and other animals pass. It is always exciting in the mornings to go and check the cameras and see what the cameras have captured. So far, we have managed to get some great photos of elephants and hyenas (including one of a hyena biting the actual camera!). We have since built metal boxes around the cameras to deter curious and toothsome hyenas. In time, we hope to have a collection of ID photos to estimate the density of carnivores in this community area.

A spotted hyena captured by our camera trap.

Other Wildlife News:

Many animals died during the severe drought in 2009. Almost all buffalo, waterbuck, warthog and impala died during this time. The rains returned in October and the survivors made the most of the new grass shoots that emerged. Rains in March and April have created a lush green paradise in the reserves. Fattened oryx, huge herds of impala, gazelle and giraffe are scattered all over the reserves and elephants are back in large numbers.

We have been fortunate to have some good predator sightings, including our first cheetah sighting in Westgate. We are excited to have seen wild dogs on numerous occasions both in the reserves and in Westgate, including a pack that passed right behind our camp kitchen! We’ve also seen caracal and had a very special sighting of an aardvark. The vegetation has now begun to dry up and we are busy recording and monitoring all wildlife changes.

Wild dogs seen in the Conservation Area.

Staff News

Paul Thomson joined the Ewaso Lions team full-time in January. Paul has over five years professional experience in African wildlife conservation and is pursuing a Masters degree at Yale. Before joining Ewaso Lions, Paul worked with the African Wildlife Foundation in both Kenya and Washington, DC. We are very excited to have Paul join the team and you will be hearing a lot from him as well. Karibu sana Paul!

In April 2010, we employed two new field members. Moses Letitiya has taken over Jeneria’s position as Lion scout in the Sasaab region. Jeneria is now our head tracker and research assistant. Robert Lenongiro has recently started as Community Officer. Both Robert and Moses are from Westgate. Ricila is now in charge of the Warrior Watch programme (see below) and is Camp Chef. Joseph is Camp Manager and is being trained in data management.

The Ewaso Lions team.

PhD

After some challenges in 2009 due to the security troubles and severe drought, Shivani is busy catching up with PhD-related work and data analysis. She has about another year to complete her PhD with the University of Oxford. She will be traveling to Oxford towards the end of the year to begin writing her thesis. The guys will carry on with activities in the field and in Camp whilst Shivani is away.

News in Camp

Ewaso Lions Camp, located in Westgate Community Conservancy just outside Samburu National Reserve, has seen some real growth this past year. We finally have permanent shade, thanks to our new Mess structure kindly provided by Sasaab Lodge. It is no longer possible to pack up the whole camp in Gypsy the way we used to in 2008!

We still need a lot more in camp: more tents, tables, cooking items, and fuel. Our chairs are broken and solar battery has died. Also, with the rains, our bathrooms have all collapsed and need to be rebuilt. We appreciate any donation towards our Camp needs and are grateful to all of you who have supplied so much to date.

The project has just acquired a Toyota Landcruiser. The vehicle has been christened Winslow (don’t ask!) and is a great companion for the faithful Suzuki, Gypsy. Together, Winslow and Gypsy will allow us to expand the reach and impact of our work across our project area, which covers over 900 km2.

Paul driving around in Winslow, the new project vehicle.

We have hosted many visitors over the past few months. Christina Tsantes from Hunter College, New York, stayed with us for six weeks in July/August and greatly assisted with setting up of databases. Scott Smith from the Wildlife Conservation Society spent a wonderful week in camp in October and witnessed both the severity of the drought and the first rains. Stacey Gardebrecht visited and assisted us for a week in February, followed by Aimee Guha-Roy from the University of Oxford who helped with data and gained some field experience – little did she know she would arrive for the floods! We are happy to host Mary Wykstra and her team from the Action for Cheetahs in Kenya at our Camp whilst she conducts fieldwork in Samburu.

Warrior Watch

We are thrilled to announce our newest programme, Warrior Watch. Through Warrior Watch, Samburu warriors become active within their communities as wildlife ambassadors by reporting on wildlife sightings and issues such as conflict in exchange for a stipend and educational lessons. In partnership with Westgate Conservancy, we selected and trained the first six warriors in January. The programme is already showing signs of success: the warriors seem to genuinely enjoy their new roles; they’ve held meetings throughout the group ranch; and have attended over ten conflict cases in four months. We hope to increase the number of warriors in the programme and are currently seeking funds to enable us to do so. Meet the warriors and see what else they do here.

Shivani working with the warriors on predator tracks identification.

Sponsoring Students

We are happy to announce the first two students sponsored by Ewaso Lions, Samson and Edward. These bright boys completed primary school at Lpus Leluai here in Westgate Conservancy. Under the Ewaso Lions sponsorship, they will continue their education at a highly ranked secondary school in Meru, and their tuition will be covered for four academic years. We received donations from Christina, Nina, Kathy and Trey to enable the boys to go to school. At the end of their first term in their new school, both boys achieved a grade of B- in their subjects, and we are thrilled with these results. Meet the boys here!

New Book: Simba Stories

In May, Ewaso Lions will release Simba Stories, a book of poems, stories and illustrations that celebrate lions, all made by students from Lpus Leluai Primary School in Westgate. The artwork encapsulates their perceptions of lions as they parse together their own young experiences with those learnt in their community and through conservation education programmes. We will be distributing the book locally to increase awareness on the importance of lions and conservation.

Simba Stories will be available for purchase – the details will be posted online. Proceeds from book sales will be used to establish a Wildlife Club at Lpus Leluai Primary School. A very special thanks to Lindsay Morency for putting the book together and making it look so fantastic!

Floods in Samburu

On March 4th, Samburu was rocked by severe flooding, which left eight camps and lodges destroyed, hundreds of people without jobs, infrastructure ruined, and tourism essentially shut down in the area. We were very fortunate – the Ewaso Lions camp was not affected.

Ewaso Lions’ friends and donors responded quickly to our appeals and we were able to assist many Samburu residents with food and clothing. Things are now beginning to recover and lodges and camps are being constructed and repaired. We are yet to assess the impact on wildlife as so many roads are still impassable. See photos of the flood and its aftermath here.

Launch of Kenya’s Lion and Spotted Hyena Strategy

Ewaso Lions was represented at the launch of the National Lion Strategy. Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officially launched it at an event in Nairobi on the 17th of February together with the strategies for spotted hyena, cheetahs and wild dogs. This management plan recognises the current and potential geographical range for lions and the threats facing them, and provides guidance for their conservation and management.

Ewaso Lions played an important role in the management plan by providing data and information on lions and hyenas from the Samburu region. Ricila & Mporian, warriors from our Warrior Watch programme, joined Joseph, Paul, and Shivani at the KWS headquarters for the launch. Mporian was given the honour of opening the ceremony with a traditional Samburu blessing.

Lion Research Safari

In January, we had our first Lion Research Safari in conjunction with Gamewatchers (a fantastic, eco-friendly safari company which has a number of Porini Camps in Kenya). Our guests, the Wills family of Scotland joined us during our research activities in Shaba and visited our community programmes in Westgate. For more information on Lion Research Safaris, and how they help our project, go to: http://www.porini.com/lion-research-safari.html

Kenyan Kids on Safari

We have now taken more than 40 young kids on game drives in Samburu and Buffalo Springs National Reserves. Kenyan Kids on Safari (KKOS) and Todd Cromwell donated cameras, binoculars and a print station to Ewaso Lions to allow us to take young children in villages and schools into the National Reserves to see wildlife. Many of these children have never seen the big cats or elephants close-up and only get to see the negative side of wildlife. Together with Intrepids and Sasaab lodges, we have shown these kids a positive side of wildlife. We hope to take more kids on safari in 2010. For more, visit kidsonsafari.org

Children from Kenyan Kids on Safari.

Tree Project

We have planted 75 trees to date within schools and villages in Westgate. Unfortunately most of the trees died during the 2009 drought. We hope to resume and reenergize the Tree Project over the next few months.

Westgate Marathon

Together with Sasaab Lodge and Westgate Conservancy, we held the first-ever Westgate Marathon on the 1st of May, 2010. The Westgate Marathon was open to everyone. The theme was “Running for Lions.” The marathon was a huge success – we had 30 runners participate including five from the Ewaso Lions team. The winners will be sponsored to run the famous Safaricom Lewa Marathon in June. We hope to hold another Westgate Marathon in 2011 and this time both Paul and Shivani will be out there running for lions!

Joseph running in the Westgate Marathon.

New Ewaso Lions Logo

Ewaso Lions finally has a logo! Paul helped create the bold new logo, which will raise the profile of our growing project and has given our team a sense of identity. We now have stylish new shirts and decals on our vehicles bearing the logo. We hope you like it!

Blog, Facebook and Twitter

Ewaso Lions has launched a full-scale attack on the Internet. We’ve updated our website, we continue to blog as much as possible, and we are more and more active in growing our online community through our Facebook and Twitter pages. Please friend us, follow us, and send us feedback. Also, spread the word and encourage your friends to join Ewaso Lions.

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Thanks to you – our donors and partners – we have come this far in a relatively short period of time. Without your support, our work would not be possible. We are making real progress here, but there is still so much more to be done. We hope you will continue to support this important work as we continue to expand our research and conservation programmes.

Your donations and support are ultimately helping safeguard the future of lions, while improving peoples’ livelihoods, in the Ewaso region of northern Kenya. Donate online here.

For lions. For people. Forever.

With our very best wishes from Samburu,

Shivani Bhalla & Paul Thomson

Directors, Ewaso Lions

Contact

Ewaso Lion Project

P.O. Box 14996

Nairobi 00800

Kenya

Tel: (+254) 721 696 443

Email: info@ewasolions.org

Website: www.ewasolions.org

Blog: www.ewasolions.wildlifedirect.org

Join Ewaso Lions on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @EwasoLions

Does Magilani Have Cubs?

After the incident of the lioness that killed the camel in the Conservation Area, we followed her tracks down to the river, and here we found clear, fresh tracks of lion cubs! There was an area where the cubs had been playing in the open and the mother was not around. The cubs also managed to kill or find a dead dikdik and dragged it into a small cave in a Salvadora bush, where they fed on it. Their most recent tracks disappeared into some thick bushes along with their mother.

Tracks of the cubs. We place a pen next to them to show size.

We returned to the area in the evening and waited along the road to see if we could get a visual of the lioness and her cubs. At 6:06 pm, Jeneria suddenly said “she’s there!” and for one second, we had a sighting of the female alone. She saw us and slowly disappeared into thick bush and did not come out again.

I was really excited – I hadn’t seen a lion in the Conservation Area since August 2009. Although I barely got a proper sighting of her, I believe that this is Magilani. She is in her usual area and very close to the bushes she used to always be seen in. We last saw her in August 2009 at the peak of the drought and I believe she disappeared to give birth and has now returned with her 2 young cubs.

The area where Magilani used to hide has been destroyed in the floods. Hiding places are more scarce.

Unfortunately her usual hiding area has been destroyed in the floods. The March 2010 floods destroyed much of the vegetation along the river, flattening the Salvadora bushes and uprooting giant trees.

News of cubs is great news for Westgate and we will be keeping a close eye on the female and her cubs to ensure their safety in the area. Hopefully over time, we will get a proper visual of the female and confirm that it is indeed Magilani.

Conflict Threatens Lions in Samburu

Last week, we received word that a lion had killed a camel in the Westgate Conservation Area. We went to investigate and found the carcass of an adult female camel.

During the night, the camel and her calf had been chased out of their enclosure (or “boma”) by another camel. She ran into the Conservation Area, where she was killed by the lioness. The calf ran back to the village and was attacked by hyenas. She managed to survive, but suffered some severe injuries.

We went to the village to speak to the owner of the camels. We learned that the boma was in fact left open and the entrances were not entirely covered, which is how the camels easily escaped. We helped treat the camel’s deep gashes.

This was the second lion-camel incident in one week and we followed up by having community meetings within the entire group ranch. We spoke about the need to make bomas stronger with closed entrances so camels and other livestock do not escape and end up in predator territory. Herders need to be extra careful and avoid areas where lions are present.

The meetings were well-received and the owner of these particular camels immediately reinforced his bomas to better protect his camels.

After this incident, I did wonder to myself, who was the lioness that killed the camel? Could this be Magilani?

The rains continue in Samburu. It is so green and beautiful at the moment, white and purple flowers blanket the landscape. But amidst this beauty, conflict persists between lions and the local communities in Westgate Community Conservancy. If this conflict continues, things could get grim for the lions.

Lpuresi, Ewaso Lions Warrior, investigates the area where the adult camel was killed

Jeneria, Ewaso Lions Research Assistant, attempts to catch the young camel

Treating the injured camel

Mporian, member of the Ewaso Lions Warrior Watch programme, speaks to other warriors at Sasaab village

Finally Capturing and Collaring Lguret

We’ve just completed a grueling but successful lion collaring operation in the reserves. The four-day operation was sponsored by Save The Elephants (STE) and involved putting tracking collars on eight elephants and one lion. To be efficient and utilize the time of the visiting Kenya Wildlife Service vet, decided to re-collar Lguret, the male lion we collared a year ago.

Lguret and his brother Loirish spent most of the time hiding in deep bush, in a river that made getting to him impossible. On a few occasions they emerged, and we frantically radioed the vet to come, but as soon as the vet came, the lions disappeared back into hiding. It was frustrating and exhausting work.

On the last day, just when we were starting to lose hope, we tracked for hours and then Jeneria spotted the lions lying under a bush. The vet and an STE car arrived and we prepared ourselves. The anxiety and tension was palpable: it was now or never.

We carefully approached the lions, and the vet successfully made the shot, anesthetizing Lguret while his brother ran off. We jumped into action to remove his old collar, affix his new one, take his measurements, and collect samples. He eventually entered a deep sleep and we finished our tasks quickly.

After administering the antidote, we stayed with the lion to make sure he recovered well. Not bothered by his collar, he eventually walked away to sleep off his wooziness.

The tracking collar will provide valuable data on the lion’s movements in and out of the reserves. The collar does not harm the animal, nor does it even seem to bother him.

After the vet anesthetized Lguret, we waited for him to fall asleep.

Shivani and Jeneria take measurements.

My what big teeth you have!

The Ewaso Lions team and the vets with Lguret. His head is covered to protect his eyes from the sun.

A bit groggy, Lguret woke up and recovered nicely.

This has marked the end of a long attempt to collar Lguret. It has been no easy task: a total of 60 field days over the past 8 months, averaging 12 hours each day, and driving nearly two thousand kilometers! Now we can breathe a sigh of relief that the search is over and now we will be able to capture valuable data that can help ensure the long-term conservation of these incredible animals.

Please share your comments. We love hearing from our readers!

Lions Hunting Baboons

We’ve just ended our 16th day looking for Lguret, the male lion we GPS-collared to track his movements. After a year, it is time to de-collar him and we have been searching endlessly for him so that a KWS vet can safely anesthetize him and attend to the collar.

It has been an incredible struggle looking for this elusive male who is generally seen with his brother Loirish in either Samburu or Buffalo Springs National Reserves. He seems completely set on hiding from us. When the vet is ready and on standby, Lguret goes missing. When we get news from our friends in the reserves that Lguret has been spotted, we race over, only to find that he has just slinked off again. It’s frustrating and exhausting. A total of 16 field days spent looking for him means driving hundreds of kilometers in Gypsy, bouncing around until our backs ache, baking in the sun, and getting dusty beyond belief.

Finally, we found him today. He lay under a Salvadora bush with his brother, feeding on some kind of carcass. We soon figured out what it was. The two males got up and walked a short distance from the bush. Just then, three baboons which were hiding in the bush above them began shrieking. The lions circled back and began climbing the thick bush. The baboons were completely trapped at the top of the bush with a hungry lion climbing their way. One of the baboons leapt from the bush and literally ran for its life. Lguret also leapt from the bush and took off for the baboon, which ran right by our car. They both darted up a tree and Lguret swiped, barely missing the baboon. Defeated, he climbed down the tree and wondered off. The baboon must have had the fright of its life. Fortunately, Stacey, a great friend and supporter of Ewaso Lions, took this video of the chase:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iuf3UbvwU6Y

Sadly, by the time we located Lguret, it was too late in the day for the vet to come to the reserve to safely dart him to attend to the collar. We’ll have to keep trying.

Above: Lguret runs after a baboon.

Above: Lguret chases the baboon up a tree.

Watch the video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iuf3UbvwU6Y

Ewaso Lions News

Amidst this terrible drought, the lions have done great! Together with the other predators, they are probably the only animals to have benefited from the arid conditions. The Koitogor pride came together a few months ago and started bringing down larger animals – giraffes, buffalo, zebra – which became their main prey. Nashipai and Nabo’s cubs have grown and often leave their mothers, hunting alone. I have been fortunate to have a number of great sightings of them; feasting on giraffe, climbing trees, or sleeping and playing out in the open.

One of the cubs on a fallen Acacia tree

The pride in Ngare Mara have also done well. The two young females in that area, Jabdu and Korti, have not ventured far from Ngare Mara River and the swamps. A few weeks ago, Jabdu gave birth! I saw her the day after she gave birth – she had blood all over her legs and she was quite nervous. It will be weeks before we see her cubs as she has them hidden well. Kofafeti and her 2 cubs have also done well over the past few months, and Loirish and Lguret, the 2 resident males, have been moving between the 2 prides.

Loirish and Lguret feast on a giraffe

Lastly, Magilani. I have not seen her since August. There is no sign of her at all. I haven’t seen any tracks or heard of any sightings from either the community or the scouts. It has been long and I worry about her safety. With lion numbers in Kenya declining in most areas, each and every individual lion is so important. I have monitored Magilani for months as she wanders through West Gate Community Conservancy alone. I hope she is still alive.

The rains have now begun and things will begin to change for the lions and other predators. They have had an easy year so far, however this will now change as the prey moves away from the Ewaso Nyiro river and into the hills. The lions will follow and leave the safe confines of the reserves. I hope they survive this crucial period.

Samburu Is Still Dry…

Hello friends,

I am sorry for the long long silence! I was in Nairobi all of April, working on data and reports. I returned to Samburu about 2 weeks ago and have been busy setting up the Echo Lima Camp once again in West Gate Community Conservancy, trying to find the lions, catching up with the Ewaso Lions team and much more.

Sadly, things are not very good here. The rains have pretty much failed. Normally when I return to Samburu every May, it is green, the Ewaso Nyiro River is flowing fast, elephants are everywhere, cats are hard to find and all animals are happy and energetic in the lush green vegetation.

This time however, it is a different scene. When I arrived, the river was still dry, elephants were lethargic with numerous calves dying in large numbers, the lions were still in the reserve concentrated along the river and the ground still bare and very very dry.

The Ewaso Nyiro still dry when I returned in early May

The situation in West Gate is no better. The Samburu people are moving daily in search of rain (its raining around us – just not here), there has been cholera outbreaks in the region with people dying. Livestock are dying daily and sadly Grevy zebra too. I was also faced with 3 dead (1 dying) elephants the day we set up the Echo Lima camp.

Amidst this sad news, there is some good news and hope. It is raining around us and the river finally began to flow after being dry for 5 months!

The Ewaso Nyiro started flowing a few days ago in West Gate Community Conservancy

I had a fantastic sighting of all the lions from the Koitogor Pride in Samburu National Reserve a few days ago. Nashipai, Nabo and their 5 cubs are looking great and healthy. The cubs have grown and are almost full size now. Uni’s 4 cubs have all survived and are also looking healthy. It is always such a relief to see the lions after being away for a long time.

Nashipai and one of her cubs looking great during the persistent dry season in the reserve

Uni’s cubs looking healthy

There is much more to report on – some good and some bad. I will be posting many more blogs about everything soon, so stay tuned. Some really exciting news is also on the way….

But in the meantime, where is the rain? We keep hoping it is still on the way…

Feast For The Cubs

It was just after 4 pm yesterday when I came across Nabo and Nashipai, the 2 main lionesses from the Koitogor Pride, in the middle of suffocating an adult male impala, in Samburu National Reserve. Nabo held onto her prey’s throat with her jaws whilst Nashipai started eating.

Two lionesses from Samburu, Nabo and Nashipai, kill an impala

Nashipai only ate for a few minutes, stood up and walked off towards the Ewaso Nyiro River. She went for a quick drink at a nearby waterhole and then disappeared from sight. Nabo continued to eat but constantly looked in the direction that Nashipai had disappeared to.

Nashipai leaves to get the cubs

Nabo continues to feed on the impala

About 15 minutes later, I turned around and saw a beautiful scene. Nashipai had gone to get the 5 cubs (2 cubs are Nashipai’s and 3 are Nabo’s). They were all walking in the middle of the river heading our way. They came close and suddenly the cubs saw Nabo eating the impala. They ran towards her and pounced on top of the impala.

Cubs feast on the impala

All 5 cubs ate and ate together with Nabo whilst Nashipai sat nearby waiting and licking the blood off herself. They fought over small pieces of meat and played tug-of-war with the bones and legs.

I watched them finish every single piece of the impala for more than 2 hours. Loirish one of the males eventually showed up. He let them eat for a while before heading to the kill and getting a small share. Nashipai eventually stood up and picked at some remaining scraps.

Loirish, the resident male in Samburu, watches and waits at a distance

Loirish joins the rest of the pride on the impala kill

Kills are hard to see in Samburu because of the thick bush and the lions here are often hunting at night. It has been a long time since I have seen a kill. The lions are doing really well these days. Most of the other animals are struggling in this drought, but the lions just lay in wait along the river and ambush whatever comes down to drink at the waterhole.

This was a great scene and fantastic to watch the 5 cubs of Samburu tear away at an impala together with Nabo and Loirish. Nashipai, my favourite lioness, was amazing. She didn’t each much, left the kill to go and fetch the cubs and even upon return, allowed the cubs to eat. It was a very special few hours…

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