The usually quiet and serene hills of the Nambiti Valley have been echoing with fearsome sounds this past month.
If you have been following the story of our adolescent males, you’ll know their 3rd birthday is fast approaching. This is about the age where male lions reach sexual maturity and, as anticipated, the battle for dominance on the Reserve has begun.
Roars have been heard bellowing in the valley, with almost ground-trembling force.
Reaching up to 114 decibels (over 25 times louder than your average lawnmower), these guttural grunts can be heard from more than 8kms away.
Male lions use these calls to convey their location, as a warning, as well as an indication to other males about their size. Now that the adolescent males are vying for dominance over the territory of the Black Mane Brothers, the bigger the roar, the bigger their chance.
These vocal displays are building up to the battle of the year with the face-off between our adolescent males, and the Black Mane Brothers. Although there have been blowouts between the four, with battle wounds and blood to show for it – there is a much bigger fight looming.
When this battle ensues, it will surely mean death for one of the parties; If not during battle, the defeated pair will have to retreat into bachelordom – which often spells doom for male lions. Without females to hunt for them, male lions resort to scavenging in areas where the pickings are slim…
If you’re joining us in the next few weeks, be prepared.
