

sanjay





Wildanimal Enthusiast 3,491 Replies 133 Topics Joined: Mar 2014 Reputation: 33 #76 ( This post was last modified: 09-25-2017, 07:50 PM by sanjay

The short story of Mighty Mapogos Lion Coalition



We all know mapogos coalition of six male lions. They first appear in March 2006. Name of the six lions form Mapogos coalition are-

Dreadlocks Makulu Pretty Boy Rasta Mr. T Kinky Tail



Below are the some images of this coalition



*This image is copyright of its original author





*This image is copyright of its original author



These 6 males coalition of lions split into 2 different groups. 4 of them namely, Dreadlocks, Rasta, Pretty Boy and Makulu formed a coalition and stayed on south of the sand of rivers while other 2 Mr. T and Kinky Tail moved to north of the sand of rivers.



Majingilane

Originally they were coalition of 5 males and when first come on lime light they were of 4-5 year old. According to eye witness on 7 June 210, they were feeding on carcass of huge buffalo which they have killed 2 days earlier, prior to this they were occasionally seemed by tourist. But today (7 June 2010) they were looking more confident and they were looking different.



The story

On 8 June 2010 at 02:30 morning the majingilane started roaring, it was first time they fully vocalized, there thunderous roars can be heard across the open grassland at miles distance away. That night they were active and moved in almost all possible direction.



From the west of the Nkorho the 2 big and dominant Mapogos, Kinky Tail and Mr. T start moving towards North. It was clear that they have heard the roar of Majingilane at that morning and they had accepted the challenge of these males and ready to answer them. They start moving towards the possible location of the young coalition of these males.

The two dominant males moved Nkorho in a south west direction. They were moving in pace and extremely focused on something.

In a thick bush one of the young male lion from Majingilane coalition was sitting and when he realized the presence of Kinky Tail and Mr. T he tried to sink and flattered in order to hide himself. At this point Kinky Tail and Mr. T had not spotted the younger male but were definitely aware of his presence. Perhaps an earlier contact call, or the detection of the younger male's scent, had brought them within very close to the young rival.



The kinky Tail sniffed the air and slowly moved in the direction of young male lion from Majingliane coalition and Mr. T followed him. And the history written, the two powerful male was on top of young male. The viscous and thunder roar of Lions were in all direction, People can hear the sound of breaking bone and growls from the young lion. That was pure brutal scene for any one, they were tearing and slicing the young male lion. Although the younger lion gave his all he never stood a chance. By the end of the battle both parties were clearly exhausted.



Images of this fight



*This image is copyright of its original author





*This image is copyright of its original author





*This image is copyright of its original author





*This image is copyright of its original author



Watch the video of this famous fight

























One can easily see the damage caused to the young male in above photos. His bone of both hind legs were broken and his pelvis was shattered. Massive tear and deep cut in skin flesh can be seen especially at abdomen. Kinky Tail and Mr. T were also injured and were bleeding at several places. The two Mapogos take shelter under a nearby bush while the young majingilane male remained immobilized and dying minute by minute.



Death of Kinky tail

At the same night, the reaming four young male from Majingilane coalition were laying and resting very near to the place of incident where his 5th brother was killed by kinky tail and Mr. T. It seems that they have got some sense of entire incident. Suddenly the 4 young male lion start roaring and almost instantly The 2 mapogos responded with equally thundering roar.



Kinky Tail who is one of the bravest lion didn’t hesitate to chase the 4 males. He started running slowly towards the direction of four young male lion and with time he increased his pace, though he carry some injury from previous fight but looking on his confidence one can assume there was no sign of pain or injury on his face. What a brave lion. On seeing him The 4 majingilane turned their back and start running at full speed followed by Kinky Tail. After some few minutes of chase 2 of the Majingilane lion disappeared. Only Kinky tail can be seen behind other 2 lions. Suddenly the 2 disappeared male appeared but this time they were behind the Kinky Tail and following him. So you can imagine like this-

2 majingliane at front, in middle Kinky tail (chasing them) and behind of him the other 2 majingilane. That was a spectacular seen. What a smartness shown by the Majingilane, Incredible.

The 2 leading majigilane lion who were chased by kinky tail realized the presence of their brother in behind of kinky tail, they stopped and turned back towards kinky tail. But kinky tail has no fear, he ran straight toward them and hit with a powerful paw swipe. In between second lion followed by 2 others attacked him from behind.



Kinky tail start growling and roaring in pain, the four lion attacked and start mauling him brutally. The 4 young lion made kinky tail bleeding and caused deep punctured injuries on his neck, head, and hind legs. After 15 minute if this brutal attack, Mr. T appeared first time, he made a heroic entry but got hesitant when he saw four male were mauling the Kinky Tail as he has expected Kinky Tail to be dominating the fight. As soon as he realized that his brother is in danger and losing the confrontation, he jumped in to the fight and immediately attacked on of the lion behind of Kinky Tail. Suddenly one of the lion from attacking group join his brother against Mr. T. The 2 young males tackled Mr. T and remaining 2 keep holding the Kinky tail from behind. 2 vs 1 was too much for Mr. T and he was losing the battle. Understanding the situation Mr. T run for his life, while the 2 younger lion chasing him. After few minutes of chase, the 2 male lion returned and joined their brother and showed no mercy towards Kinky tail who was almost helpless and doomed.



images of this historic fight of kinky tail



*This image is copyright of its original author





*This image is copyright of its original author



Videos of the fight

















They continue to attack with such a brutality that cannot be expressed in words, with bone breaking sounds they had dislocated his 3 legs. They have broken his spinal cord and made severely deep wounds in his back and abdomen. He suffered lacerations to his head and face. By the collapse of the left side of his face it looked as if they had broken the lower section of the orbital socket and there was a puncture wound in the head about as thick as a grown man’s thumb and as deep as the average length of a male lions canine, roughly the length of your thumb. What a brutal seen to witness.



From a distance Mr. T start roaring again. The 4 male lions loose his grip from immobilized Kinky tail and headed towards the direction of Mr. T. After chasing Mr. T for few minutes in thicker bushes they moved back towards dying Kinky tail. Though the Kinky tail was almost breathless they still ran with an intensity towards him and attacked violently from all direction without any mercy.

You can imagine the brutality of this scene as 3 of these 4 majingilane lions start eating Kinky tail from behind (hind legs) while he was still alive and taking his last breath. It took more than 20 minutes to die him and during all this time he was been eaten alive by group of 3 lions. The reaming 1 was still attacking on his face and neck.



The young lions keep urinating and vocalizing time to time to show their dominance and glory, they declared that this areas is now owned by them and if there is any opponent to challenge him. Within few hours they eaten up more than 75% of kinky tail and the one of the most glorious and famous lion of his era take his last breath. In the darkness of night Lions were roaring all around, Mr. T from some distance and the 4 young killer in the reply.



In the following morning one can see flattered grass, scattered remains of the mane and head of dead kinky tail and blood all around the scene of incident. Scavenger have already lured by the remains. Whole Mapogos was a legendary coalition and Kinky tail was a special lion who is still remember for his brave heart and aggressive nature. The death of Kinky tail made a history and it forced human to learn and think about lion’s behavior once again.

Since then, Majingilane have found a new confidence. They tracked Mr. T to Londolozi who has taken shelter here and he was with the Tsalala pride on June 28th/29th 2010. The four Majingilane males launched another attack that scattered the three adult Tsalala lionesses along with their eight youngsters. Two of the youngsters were killed.

Mr. T was slightly injured and ran west to join up with his four coalition brothers. The 5 coalition of Mapogos joined under the leadership of Mr. T.

Again after few days later, the five Mapogo males were seen heading back East towards North Central Sabi Sand. They seem to be on a mission to meet up with the Majingilane males once again.



Death of Rasta.

On July 9 2010, they went for another confrontation against the young brigade of Majigilane coalition. The result of this fight was also disastrous for mapogos as they lost the fight and one of the member name as Rasta got killed in this battle due to severe injuries and the pretty boy also got severe injuries which seemed to include a bent spine.

Unfortunately there is no image of this incident,



This is a videos in which you can hear the roar and growl of Lions and possibly Majingilane killing Rasta. Unfortunately this video also has no clear footage.









Missing Dreadlocks

After losing this battle they never challenge Majigilane again. Seemingly content in a smaller portion of their territory the four remaining Mapogos started to build on their dominance of the Ximhungwe pride until one day one of them aka dreadlocks, decided to go for a walk in a north-easterly direction towards their old territory, and never returned. Probably killed by another lion or hyena group or poachers and even some believe he was killed by Crocodile, but no one know the exact reason.



Death of Mr. T

Down to three, the Mapogo coalition seldom left the western sector of the reserve. They remain dominant males for at least 3-4 year after losing Kinky tail, Rasta and dreadlocks. Mr. T most famous for his dominance behavior and killing many cubs and female. During Mr.T’s absence from the west, the other Mapogo males had taken over a new pride – the Ximhungwe pride. A number of cubs had been born into the pride since the takeover but as Mr.T had not been with the other coalition members at the time he did not recognise the cubs as family and instinctively began to wipe them out. This again enhanced his brutal reputation, yet he was only following his instincts in order to ensure that the next generation of the Ximhungwe pride would have the blood of the Mapogo coalition running through their veins, there was no way for him to be sure that the cubs at the time already were of the Mapogo bloodline.



The three old males seemed to be heading for an easy retirement until the arrival of the four young Southern Males (Selati). At first these younger male were afraid of the 3 Mapogos and keep their distance whenever they heard the roar of them. It was a lioness from Ximhungwe pride who build the confidence in these young boys to dare to battle. As Mapogos where nowhere present and this lioness come into oestrus on hearing the roar of Selati males she decided to mate with them. Finding a female to mate with brought the younger males closer to Mapogos controlled territory and it was not long before there was a confrontation between the two coalitions.



This first confrontation ended with all seven males walking away, but the Mapogo looked like a beaten trio, one had narrowly avoided serious injury and the three took some time to recuperate.

On 16 march 2012, The 4 Selati younger male caught Mr. T alone and killed him almost in same way as kinky tail was killed by Majingilane but it was less brutal. You can see the image and video of 4 lions killing Mr. T.

images of last battle of Mr. T aka Satan, killed by Selati male lions



*This image is copyright of its original author





*This image is copyright of its original author





*This image is copyright of its original author





*This image is copyright of its original author





*This image is copyright of its original author



Some of the videos

















He was severely wounded and punctured by deep injuries all around his hind legs and abdomen. He dies in 1 hours after sustaining the severe injuries given by Selati.



The last days of Makulu and Pretty Boy

In the year since the death of this magnificent old lion the remaining two members of the once formidable coalition were reduced to living the life of nomads themselves. Moving throughout the Sabi Sand reserve and even into the Kruger National Park the two brothers somehow managed to avoid major conflict with other males for the first few months. There were run-ins with another pair of males known as the Kruger males eventually, one of these confrontations ended with reports of the older male, known as Makulu, being killed in the fight.

Since then pretty boys was seen occasionally and hiding and living a low profile life. In between he was chased by selati males in many occasion.

Until one day when Makulu staged a return from the dead and both old males were reunited, even causing headlines when the pair walked into the Kruger Park through the Paul Kruger entrance gate one morning!



In October 2012 the old boys again returned to the Western sector, following the buffalo herd. At this time Pretty Boy looked painfully thin, without a meal soon he would not last much longer.

After that for longer duration of time there was no news of these 2 boys. In January 2013 Makulu sighting alone was reported. It seems that the oldest member of the coalition was the one to have lasted the longest.



No one knows what happened to Pretty boys and how he died, probably due to hunger? Or killed by Selati coalition? Also there is no confirmed news about Makulu death.



This is the end of story. Mapogos story is greatest story of lion history and very fascinating they were true legend of the lion world.



Note: I have taken information form lot of sources while writing this story. I request my members to correct it at places where I am wrong





Thanks for reading Reply We all know mapogos coalition of six male lions. They first appear in March 2006. Name of the six lions form Mapogos coalition are-Below are the some images of this coalitionThese 6 males coalition of lions split into 2 different groups. 4 of them namely, Dreadlocks, Rasta, Pretty Boy and Makulu formed a coalition and stayed on south of the sand of rivers while other 2 Mr. T and Kinky Tail moved to north of the sand of rivers.Originally they were coalition of 5 males and when first come on lime light they were of 4-5 year old. According to eye witness on 7 June 210, they were feeding on carcass of huge buffalo which they have killed 2 days earlier, prior to this they were occasionally seemed by tourist. But today (7 June 2010) they were looking more confident and they were looking different.On 8 June 2010 at 02:30 morning the majingilane started roaring, it was first time they fully vocalized, there thunderous roars can be heard across the open grassland at miles distance away. That night they were active and moved in almost all possible direction.From the west of the Nkorho the 2 big and dominant Mapogos, Kinky Tail and Mr. T start moving towards North. It was clear that they have heard the roar of Majingilane at that morning and they had accepted the challenge of these males and ready to answer them. They start moving towards the possible location of the young coalition of these males.The two dominant males moved Nkorho in a south west direction. They were moving in pace and extremely focused on something.In a thick bush one of the young male lion from Majingilane coalition was sitting and when he realized the presence of Kinky Tail and Mr. T he tried to sink and flattered in order to hide himself. At this point Kinky Tail and Mr. T had not spotted the younger male but were definitely aware of his presence. Perhaps an earlier contact call, or the detection of the younger male's scent, had brought them within very close to the young rival.The kinky Tail sniffed the air and slowly moved in the direction of young male lion from Majingliane coalition and Mr. T followed him. And the history written, the two powerful male was on top of young male. The viscous and thunder roar of Lions were in all direction, People can hear the sound of breaking bone and growls from the young lion. That was pure brutal scene for any one, they were tearing and slicing the young male lion. Although the younger lion gave his all he never stood a chance. By the end of the battle both parties were clearly exhausted.Images of this fightWatch the video of this famous fightOne can easily see the damage caused to the young male in above photos. His bone of both hind legs were broken and his pelvis was shattered. Massive tear and deep cut in skin flesh can be seen especially at abdomen. Kinky Tail and Mr. T were also injured and were bleeding at several places. The two Mapogos take shelter under a nearby bush while the young majingilane male remained immobilized and dying minute by minute.At the same night, the reaming four young male from Majingilane coalition were laying and resting very near to the place of incident where his 5th brother was killed by kinky tail and Mr. T. It seems that they have got some sense of entire incident. Suddenly the 4 young male lion start roaring and almost instantly The 2 mapogos responded with equally thundering roar.Kinky Tail who is one of the bravest lion didn’t hesitate to chase the 4 males. He started running slowly towards the direction of four young male lion and with time he increased his pace, though he carry some injury from previous fight but looking on his confidence one can assume there was no sign of pain or injury on his face. What a brave lion. On seeing him The 4 majingilane turned their back and start running at full speed followed by Kinky Tail. After some few minutes of chase 2 of the Majingilane lion disappeared. Only Kinky tail can be seen behind other 2 lions. Suddenly the 2 disappeared male appeared but this time they were behind the Kinky Tail and following him. So you can imagine like this-2 majingliane at front, in middle Kinky tail (chasing them) and behind of him the other 2 majingilane. That was a spectacular seen. What a smartness shown by the Majingilane, Incredible.The 2 leading majigilane lion who were chased by kinky tail realized the presence of their brother in behind of kinky tail, they stopped and turned back towards kinky tail. But kinky tail has no fear, he ran straight toward them and hit with a powerful paw swipe. In between second lion followed by 2 others attacked him from behind.Kinky tail start growling and roaring in pain, the four lion attacked and start mauling him brutally. The 4 young lion made kinky tail bleeding and caused deep punctured injuries on his neck, head, and hind legs. After 15 minute if this brutal attack, Mr. T appeared first time, he made a heroic entry but got hesitant when he saw four male were mauling the Kinky Tail as he has expected Kinky Tail to be dominating the fight. As soon as he realized that his brother is in danger and losing the confrontation, he jumped in to the fight and immediately attacked on of the lion behind of Kinky Tail. Suddenly one of the lion from attacking group join his brother against Mr. T. The 2 young males tackled Mr. T and remaining 2 keep holding the Kinky tail from behind. 2 vs 1 was too much for Mr. T and he was losing the battle. Understanding the situation Mr. T run for his life, while the 2 younger lion chasing him. After few minutes of chase, the 2 male lion returned and joined their brother and showed no mercy towards Kinky tail who was almost helpless and doomed.images of this historic fight of kinky tailVideos of the fightThey continue to attack with such a brutality that cannot be expressed in words, with bone breaking sounds they had dislocated his 3 legs. They have broken his spinal cord and made severely deep wounds in his back and abdomen. He suffered lacerations to his head and face. By the collapse of the left side of his face it looked as if they had broken the lower section of the orbital socket and there was a puncture wound in the head about as thick as a grown man’s thumb and as deep as the average length of a male lions canine, roughly the length of your thumb. What a brutal seen to witness.From a distance Mr. T start roaring again. The 4 male lions loose his grip from immobilized Kinky tail and headed towards the direction of Mr. T. After chasing Mr. T for few minutes in thicker bushes they moved back towards dying Kinky tail. Though the Kinky tail was almost breathless they still ran with an intensity towards him and attacked violently from all direction without any mercy.You can imagine the brutality of this scene as 3 of these 4 majingilane lions start eating Kinky tail from behind (hind legs) while he was still alive and taking his last breath. It took more than 20 minutes to die him and during all this time he was been eaten alive by group of 3 lions. The reaming 1 was still attacking on his face and neck.The young lions keep urinating and vocalizing time to time to show their dominance and glory, they declared that this areas is now owned by them and if there is any opponent to challenge him. Within few hours they eaten up more than 75% of kinky tail and the one of the most glorious and famous lion of his era take his last breath. In the darkness of night Lions were roaring all around, Mr. T from some distance and the 4 young killer in the reply.In the following morning one can see flattered grass, scattered remains of the mane and head of dead kinky tail and blood all around the scene of incident. Scavenger have already lured by the remains. Whole Mapogos was a legendary coalition and Kinky tail was a special lion who is still remember for his brave heart and aggressive nature. The death of Kinky tail made a history and it forced human to learn and think about lion’s behavior once again.Since then, Majingilane have found a new confidence. They tracked Mr. T to Londolozi who has taken shelter here and he was with the Tsalala pride on June 28th/29th 2010. The four Majingilane males launched another attack that scattered the three adult Tsalala lionesses along with their eight youngsters. Two of the youngsters were killed.Mr. T was slightly injured and ran west to join up with his four coalition brothers. The 5 coalition of Mapogos joined under the leadership of Mr. T.Again after few days later, the five Mapogo males were seen heading back East towards North Central Sabi Sand. They seem to be on a mission to meet up with the Majingilane males once again.On July 9 2010, they went for another confrontation against the young brigade of Majigilane coalition. The result of this fight was also disastrous for mapogos as they lost the fight and one of the member name as Rasta got killed in this battle due to severe injuries and the pretty boy also got severe injuries which seemed to include a bent spine.Unfortunately there is no image of this incident,This is a videos in which you can hear the roar and growl of Lions and possibly Majingilane killing Rasta. Unfortunately this video also has no clear footage.After losing this battle they never challenge Majigilane again. Seemingly content in a smaller portion of their territory the four remaining Mapogos started to build on their dominance of the Ximhungwe pride until one day one of them aka dreadlocks, decided to go for a walk in a north-easterly direction towards their old territory, and never returned. Probably killed by another lion or hyena group or poachers and even some believe he was killed by Crocodile, but no one know the exact reason.Down to three, the Mapogo coalition seldom left the western sector of the reserve. They remain dominant males for at least 3-4 year after losing Kinky tail, Rasta and dreadlocks. Mr. T most famous for his dominance behavior and killing many cubs and female. During Mr.T’s absence from the west, the other Mapogo males had taken over a new pride – the Ximhungwe pride. A number of cubs had been born into the pride since the takeover but as Mr.T had not been with the other coalition members at the time he did not recognise the cubs as family and instinctively began to wipe them out. This again enhanced his brutal reputation, yet he was only following his instincts in order to ensure that the next generation of the Ximhungwe pride would have the blood of the Mapogo coalition running through their veins, there was no way for him to be sure that the cubs at the time already were of the Mapogo bloodline.The three old males seemed to be heading for an easy retirement until the arrival of the four young Southern Males (Selati). At first these younger male were afraid of the 3 Mapogos and keep their distance whenever they heard the roar of them. It was a lioness from Ximhungwe pride who build the confidence in these young boys to dare to battle. As Mapogos where nowhere present and this lioness come into oestrus on hearing the roar of Selati males she decided to mate with them. Finding a female to mate with brought the younger males closer to Mapogos controlled territory and it was not long before there was a confrontation between the two coalitions.This first confrontation ended with all seven males walking away, but the Mapogo looked like a beaten trio, one had narrowly avoided serious injury and the three took some time to recuperate.On 16 march 2012, The 4 Selati younger male caught Mr. T alone and killed him almost in same way as kinky tail was killed by Majingilane but it was less brutal. You can see the image and video of 4 lions killing Mr. T.images of last battle of Mr. T aka Satan, killed by Selati male lionsSome of the videosHe was severely wounded and punctured by deep injuries all around his hind legs and abdomen. He dies in 1 hours after sustaining the severe injuries given by Selati.In the year since the death of this magnificent old lion the remaining two members of the once formidable coalition were reduced to living the life of nomads themselves. Moving throughout the Sabi Sand reserve and even into the Kruger National Park the two brothers somehow managed to avoid major conflict with other males for the first few months. There were run-ins with another pair of males known as the Kruger males eventually, one of these confrontations ended with reports of the older male, known as Makulu, being killed in the fight.Since then pretty boys was seen occasionally and hiding and living a low profile life. In between he was chased by selati males in many occasion.Until one day when Makulu staged a return from the dead and both old males were reunited, even causing headlines when the pair walked into the Kruger Park through the Paul Kruger entrance gate one morning!In October 2012 the old boys again returned to the Western sector, following the buffalo herd. At this time Pretty Boy looked painfully thin, without a meal soon he would not last much longer.After that for longer duration of time there was no news of these 2 boys. In January 2013 Makulu sighting alone was reported. It seems that the oldest member of the coalition was the one to have lasted the longest.No one knows what happened to Pretty boys and how he died, probably due to hunger? Or killed by Selati coalition? Also there is no confirmed news about Makulu death.This is the end of story. Mapogos story is greatest story of lion history and very fascinating they were true legend of the lion world.Note: I have taken information form lot of sources while writing this story. I request my members to correct it at places where I am wrongThanks for reading The following 11 users Like sanjay 's post: 11 users Like sanjay 's post

achyut , Apollo , chaos , GrizzlyClaws , GuateGojira , Pckts , peter , PolicemanBob , Selachimorpha11 , Spalea , Tshokwane Like Reply

peter





Expert & Researcher 2,202 Replies 34 Topics Joined: Mar 2014 Reputation: 45 #77 ( This post was last modified: 10-11-2015, 11:09 AM by peter

A very interesting read on lion coalitions, Sanjay. Easily one of your best. Must have taken some research and a lot more time. Many thanks. Same for Majingilane, as he posted a lot on coalitions in southern parts of Africa.



What to learn from the story? My proposal is to start with a selection of facts. Later, we can try to get to a few conclusions. This post has a few facts and a few interpretations.





a - Male coalitions in southern parts of Africa seem to be larger than in other regions. Although 6 seems to be the limit, coalitions of 4 are not unusual. The Mapogo coalition had 6 males. After the competition had been defeated, they split up. One group of 4 stayed put. The other moved north.



b - It is not known why males team up, but age doesn't seem to be a decisive factor. Family ties and character could be more important. Every coalition has a ring leader who dominates the others. He is the one who eats and mates first. Dominance, however, isn't considered a fact by the other males. A dominant male has to prove himself on every occasion. Hence the regular fights between members of the same coalitions.



c - In the territory they occupy, coalitions split up for brief periods of time. It could be that individuals (or pairs) move towards the borders, exploring unknown territory when possible. If males are not encountered, it will be added to the territory already occupied. If a male is detected, a confrontation could follow. These do not seem to be decisive. Battles are not won by individuals or pairs, but by coalitions (armies).



d - Male lions are not often seen on their own. At least, not for a long period of time. The most likely reason is it is too dangerous. If discovered by a coalition of enemies, he will be attacked, wounded or killed. Compares to what is seen in chimps. Groups of male chimps exploring new pastures often target individual males of another group. Male raids are not uncommon in mammals. Maybe lion coalitions entering new pastures have a similar objective as chimps. The ultimate object is to conquer territory. Before a war erupts, there are raids to decrease the number of warriors.



e - Fights between members of the same coalitions usually are brief and not directed at wounding or killing the opponent. They are about dominance. Fights between males of different coalitions, however, are serious. The aim of every coalition is to scare opponent out. Individuals often are wounded or killed. Coalitions are about numbers. The larger the coalition, the better the chance to win an encounter.



f - In serious fights, one male often is attacked by others. One of them keeps him busy attacking from the front, whereas the others go for the hindlegs and the spine. They keep him down and use their jaws to bite through muscle and bone, in this way disabling him before he is eliminated. At times, he is eaten. Not for food, but for other reasons. Before, during and after the fight, there usually is a lot of roaring.



Let's take humans to get to a comparison. Only a few decades ago, humans inhabiting wild regions also had coalitions exploring new pastures. These hunting groups often targeted enemy villages. Those targeted were surprised in order to get an advantage. In order to get an advantage, information was important. Hence the permanent scouts and small brigades. Every now and then, someone was kidnapped to get to information. When a raid worked out as planned, women and children usually were taken. The village was burned down and warriors killed in action were taken and eaten. Their skulls were dried and kept as a trophy. Enemy warriors were eaten in order to take their soul, skill and pride. This, they thought, would result in more skill for the one who took him out.



g - Lions have no option but to live in prides. As life is dangerous at the best of times, they developed a strategy to avoid confrontations. In males, visual flags included long legs, a mane and a long skull to impress others. As these features develop with age, the colour and size of the mane in particular quickly inform others on the age and status of their opponent.



Lions, and males in particular, roar at regular intervals. All lions with territories roar. As they are able to count, roaring serves a clear purpose in that those listening can quickly get to conclusions. The only wild lions who didn't roar were the Njombe man-eaters. They killed over 1500 humans and knew they were hunted. They split up and kept silent. Finding them was difficult.



Robustness also could be an adaption in that it could enable lions to take damage. Compared to tigers of similar weight, male lions usually are a bit shorter and taller. Stockyness definitely is an advantage for an animal who faces confrontations on a regular basis. Tigers have longer spines, but in lions the lower part of the back usually is a bit wider. Could have many reasons. One advantage is a bite doesn't result in immediate permanent damage.



Male lions developed a character to match this way of life. In order to find out what this means, one has to observe captive animals and talk to trainers. When a group has different male lions, even the one at the bottom of the list will never quit trying to reach his goal. They will always try to get to a new alliance in order to challenge those in command. On their way to the top, they will also challenge and try to dominate most other animals perceived as a possible threat. This is why male lions are not easy to work with and this is why only few mixed acts have more than one adult male lion. It's just too dangerous.



Not every trainer is suited to work with lions. Most of those I interviewed were much like their collegues (male lions): on their guard and using mono-syllables most of the time. Many are not that interested in other things in life. The reason is their energy is needed for the essentials. One mistake could be the last. When you succeed in avoiding problems, you focus on the chances. Most males, if they get the chance to rule at all, run a pride for a few years only. They spend most of their time on border patrols, protection, fighting and mating. As they have to be in shape all the time, they eat first. The cubs they sired, however, often are allowed to eat with them. This enables them to grow into adolescents. From then on, they are on their own. Wild male lions topping 10 years are few and far between. A life of violence for sure.



h - Talking about lion violence. In the last months, I read a few articles and books on mammals with a similar way of life as lions (chimps, us and a few more). I wouldn't say we was lacking in the department of violence. When the system we have collapses, we will no doubt quickly return to a very different way of life. And we know. If there is a difference between male lions and others, it could be time. Other big cats will go for your throat or neck when they want you, but male lions go for a decent mauling first. They take their time. Same in wild male lions. Although equipped to kill faster than most big cats or bears, they take their time. The mauling will result in a lot of noise and a very clear message to others. My guess is all mammals know about intimidation and terror. It serves a very clear purpose. Nearly all male lions have a masters degree in mauling.



Although violence is part of life for all wild male lions, those living in southern parts of Africa seem to be more outspoken in this respect. Competitors are often killed and immatures and females are also targeted. This means it often isn't about raids. Most battles are about territory. If they can't be won directly, male lions try to reduce the number of enemies.



Maybe lions in that part of Africa have a more sedentary way of life. The territories they occupy could compare to cities and cities have to be protected. For an analogy, I propose humans. Let's take Afghanistan. I saw a few documentaries. Visitors often noticed many houses in small settlements had towers. Guess why that was.



In other parts of Africa (but not everywhere), lions could be more nomadic. Nomads have to cross boundaries when following the herds. This will result in a few encounters here and there, but the aim in most cases is food. Turf wars are everywhere (and hotspots in particular), but limiting the number of enemies isn't the general rule. In South Africa, it was (read Stevenson-Hamilton) and is. Different.



South Africa has a lot of wild country, especially in the north. Some years ago, the cooperation with neighbouring countries was intensified. The aim is to create a very large reserve or safari park. It will attract a lot of tourists. Although poaching and legal hunting still create problems, the effort paid. When you are a lion and live in this region, there's no need for battle. Not for food. This means territories should be more stable and more productive. Talking large prides. It also means protection will become more important.



If you combine good territories, large prides and plenty of experienced warriors, the conclusion is invasions will be costly on both sides. For this reason, young males have no other option but to combine forces when they want to have their own kingdom. When they invade the territory of another pride and succeed, there is the problem of satisfying the needs of all warriors. As 6 is a lot, they can either extend again or split up. When they stay together, they have to up border patrols and raids. The aim of these is to limit the number of enemies. As intimidation also could be intended, excessive violence in not uncommon. One day, a coalition not conquered will turn the tables. For a male lion, even in his prime, the end always is close. They know.



No matter how you look at it, male lions have no other option but to explore new pastures and fight. Violence is part of life. Excessive violence could be a result of lion cities and too many lions. Other mammals should pay attention at 'too many' and 'excessive violence'.



i - In humans, hot summers in large cities in the western world produce social problems and violence at times. Young men often are involved. Male lions in South Africa, however, seem to be more active in winter.





j - Remember my trade is tigers. I do not doubt mistakes were made. But this post has an exploratory character, meaning the intention is to get to a debate. Could turn out to be interesting. My guess is humans and lions compare in many respects. Reply The following 10 users Like peter 's post: 10 users Like peter 's post

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GuateGojira





Expert & Researcher 2,116 Replies 9 Topics Joined: Mar 2014 Reputation: 50 #78 ( This post was last modified: 10-09-2015, 01:16 AM by GuateGojira

until now .



I suggest to create a coordinated explanation, in chronological order in the other topics about male lion coalitions too, in other to make easy the reading of the story of these lions.



Edit:

About the posts of @ Reply Past Sunday, I saw the documentary about the Mapogo lions in Animal Planet (Spanish version). It was a great documentary and I finally understand the story of these lions. Until the last post of @ sanjay (No. 76), all this topic was not made in a chronological order and that is why I was not very interested in this storyI suggest to create a coordinated explanation, in chronological order in the other topics about male lion coalitions too, in other to make easy the reading of the story of these lions.Edit:About the posts of @ Pckts , he is only explaining some morphological differences, to complement the post of @ peter . He made his point and I know that he is not going to continue with this point here, so there is no need to erase the two posts, as are complementary. The following 3 users Like GuateGojira 's post: 3 users Like GuateGojira 's post

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Jack-T





New Member 18 Replies 2 Topics Joined: Jun 2015 Reputation: 0 #79

Hi to all of you.



My 1st post here , even I am reading you for some months and have to thank you for your efforts.

Never posted , because had nothing to add.

Now I think I do.



Back in June 2012 , it was the first moment I read the word “Mapogo”.

Since then , I’ve tried to know anything (as much as I could) about them.



I involved in that by a video on youtube. A sencored one. Please note that. A sencored one !

2-3 secs were missing.



Not the graphic moments. Not the moments that Kinky tail was teared apart or been eaten.

Just 2-3 secs were missing, so some could mislead people.

The 2-3 secs that Mr T jumped in the middle of them.



And many wrote things like that …

“He escaped”

“He run for his life”

“He fled”

“He abandoned his brother”



Since it does not amuse me seeing lions been killed , I was not seeing the other vids.

Kinky tail got my compassion , but Mt T was a scum. Of the lowest ones.

And then , I read something like “he (Mr T) had eventually to run for his life”. "Eventually".



I tried another vid.

And these 2-3 secs did the trick. Changed all my opinion not only about Mr T .

More than that … I found that out there ,there are many trying to mislead you , even with just lions.



Why ?

Ask them Reply The following 2 users Like Jack-T 's post: 2 users Like Jack-T 's post

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sanjay





Wildanimal Enthusiast 3,491 Replies 133 Topics Joined: Mar 2014 Reputation: 33 #80 ( This post was last modified: 10-09-2015, 10:21 AM by sanjay





I will do my best to not make this another L vs T forum.



@ Reply Black Lorren aka Jinenfordragon: I don't know what to comment on your post. But one thing I want to make clear. The wildfact is different from Any other animal forum and our single motive is to fill this place with lot of information about any animals including superstar Lion and Tiger.I will do my best to not make this another L vs T forum. Jack-T , Thanks for coming back on topic, Can you explain, what you are trying to say ? Is my post have some incorrect information Or should I add some other missing details, If so, then please suggest me, I will correct it. The following 1 user Likes sanjay 's post: 1 user Likes sanjay 's post

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Tshokwane





Big Cats Enthusiast 5,281 Replies 6 Topics Joined: Apr 2015 Reputation: 37 #81 ( This post was last modified: 10-09-2015, 06:49 PM by Tshokwane

their lion look better than the others, as if they're sports team we talk about. Anyone has a favorite or several ones, but it's a mistake to start viewing them as pets.



@



@

And one more thing, I love that account of how it's so instictive to males to act that way, even in captive animals, to always want more, to always strive to be the one in command. And how that reflects in the trainers. Reply I think what Jack-T suggests is that many people let their emotions mess with what they're seeing. And Jack, it's not uncommon this happens. Many people in facebook or in youtube do this, and I guess they try to makelion look better than the others, as if they're sports team we talk about. Anyone has a favorite or several ones, but it's a mistake to start viewing them as pets. GuateGojira Posts 4, 9, 27, 44, 60 and then Sanjay's post 76 are all correct in the chronological aspect. The only difference maybe is that the first posts talk about one male especifically(while Sanjay's talked about their story as a coalition), but all contained the proper dates. I'll take the suggestion for the other coalitions, maybe it will take me some time to find the correct data ofr them, sometimes it's not easy to find. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the documentary. peter , As always, great post, and I find myself agreeing with a lot of what you wrote, including the reference to chimpanzees coalitions. In my house there was always a saying: "You like it, good. You don't like it, there is one door and there is the other one". It was a phrase used by my grandfather and my father. I use it too and it comes naturally to me. And I think it's that way we also compare to lions. Many of us men want things done our way or it's the highway.And one more thing, I love that account of how it's so instictive to males to act that way, even in captive animals, to always want more, to always strive to be the one in command. And how that reflects in the trainers. ‘Like night-watchmen they patrol the dark nights; marching with intent and chasing all those unwanted into the shadows…those that do not run are removed’ The following 5 users Like Tshokwane 's post: 5 users Like Tshokwane 's post

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Jack-T





New Member 18 Replies 2 Topics Joined: Jun 2015 Reputation: 0 #82



Thanks for welcoming me back.



My comment was not referring to your post, because you

a. Mentioned very clearly that Mr T jumped into the fight trying to defend his brother.

b. Its obvious that you were not there , so your post is clearly your opinion , based on some sources.

In any way there were not a hint against your post.



However I do have a different opinion on some points. Since I have never put my foot on Africa , my opinion is also based on some sources and its nothing more that just an opinion.



So far , I was trying to find out how some things had happened , just for my self. So , I do not have collected all the infos.

Let me gather some , and I will post asap my point of view.



Thanks again. Reply Hi @ sanjay Thanks for welcoming me back.My comment was not referring to your post, because youa.Mentioned very clearly that Mr T jumped into the fight trying to defend his brother.b.Its obvious that you were not there , so your post is clearly your opinion , based on some sources.In any way there were not a hint against your post.However I do have a different opinion on some points. Since I have never put my foot on Africa , my opinion is also based on some sources and its nothing more that just an opinion.So far , I was trying to find out how some things had happened , just for my self. So , I do not have collected all the infos.Let me gather some , and I will post asap my point of view.Thanks again. The following 2 users Like Jack-T 's post: 2 users Like Jack-T 's post

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Jack-T





New Member 18 Replies 2 Topics Joined: Jun 2015 Reputation: 0 #83

@Majingilane



Very good point.

Yes many people are looking them as pets and even some idolize , idealize or “anthropomorphize” them in some cases.



I also liked your similitude to the sport team fans.



Anyway , I don’t blame them. They just express what the love.



My effort will be to show that, as it happens to History , all sources are not always objective and impartial.

Rumors and myths also make things more difficult.



Hopefully , I will have some spare time this weekend.



Regards. Reply The following 5 users Like Jack-T 's post: 5 users Like Jack-T 's post

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sanjay





Wildanimal Enthusiast 3,491 Replies 133 Topics Joined: Mar 2014 Reputation: 33 #84





Jack, I will wait for your inputs and I hope you will be able to add some interesting and missing information in this thread.



I agree with Majingilane, we need to collect such great information and should make a well informed article on them, so that our reader and future generation can read it about these legendary lions. And other who are interested in scientific behavior can better understand the lions.



Its not about lion only, I encourage to write on other animals as well, including tigers. Though I found Lions social behavior, dominant and bold nature toward human (compared to shy nature of tigers and other carnivora) make it little easier to collect this type of information and off course African open plain is an easier territory to roam more conventionally when compared to habitat of Tigers or Jaguars like animals, even bear are harder to observe.



I hope with the help of our members and great moderator team we will able to build something special for our site visitor and upcoming generation, that might help them to understand that nature is great and those who are living in it are special. Our survival depends on them and we should co-exists with them. Respect them and honor them. Reply Thanks for the appreciation @Majingilane and @ Jack-T Jack, I will wait for your inputs and I hope you will be able to add some interesting and missing information in this thread.I agree with Majingilane, we need to collect such great information and should make a well informed article on them, so that our reader and future generation can read it about these legendary lions. And other who are interested in scientific behavior can better understand the lions.Its not about lion only, I encourage to write on other animals as well, including tigers. Though I found Lions social behavior, dominant and bold nature toward human (compared to shy nature of tigers and other carnivora) make it little easier to collect this type of information and off course African open plain is an easier territory to roam more conventionally when compared to habitat of Tigers or Jaguars like animals, even bear are harder to observe.I hope with the help of our members and great moderator team we will able to build something special for our site visitor and upcoming generation, that might help them to understand that nature is great and those who are living in it are special. Our survival depends on them and we should co-exists with them. Respect them and honor them. The following 2 users Like sanjay 's post: 2 users Like sanjay 's post

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Apollo





Bigcat Enthusiast 3,011 Replies 9 Topics Joined: Apr 2014 Reputation: 15 #85

Really nice thread.

Very good info and stories.

I really enjoyed reading.

Keep up the good work. Reply The following 4 users Like Apollo 's post: 4 users Like Apollo 's post

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sanjay





Wildanimal Enthusiast 3,491 Replies 133 Topics Joined: Mar 2014 Reputation: 33 #86





Read others post, commnet, like or dislike

Or, Post information from your own finding



But, no Lion v Tiger discussion on entire wildfact forum is allowed. There may be little posts for something, but it can not be a spamming zone. Also, if you join an community try to follow its rule and regulation. You can disagree with Mods, express it, but in simple and gentle words. No trolling, attack or hard words are allowed



From last few posts, I have saw there is no good post here, only little fight here and there. Reply Jack-T , Please stick with topic. No other communication is allowed here. If you have feelings for Lions, Then you have 2 options here -Read others post, commnet, like or dislikeOr, Post information from your own findingBut, no Lion v Tiger discussion on entire wildfact forum is allowed. There may be little posts for something, but it can not be a spamming zone. Also, if you join an community try to follow its rule and regulation. You can disagree with Mods, express it, but in simple and gentle words. No trolling, attack or hard words are allowedFrom last few posts, I have saw there is no good post here, only little fight here and there. The following 2 users Like sanjay 's post: 2 users Like sanjay 's post

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Tshokwane





Big Cats Enthusiast 5,281 Replies 6 Topics Joined: Apr 2015 Reputation: 37 #87 ( This post was last modified: 09-25-2017, 07:51 PM by sanjay



Jack-T I understand what you mean. But like you said, this is a thread about the Mapogo males. A little off topic conversation is not a bad thing, but more and more of this fighting serves no purpose. So, let it go. Concentrate on the lions.



Now, here are some old videos of them, this is the sunrise safari of Wildearth, dated Jan 12th 2008, and this was after the attack of the Mapogos over the Nkuhuma pride, where they killed some cubs. There are several videos, but don't worry, all are pretty short. First, we encounter two of the lions eating a giraffe. One of them I think it's Dreadlocks, and the other one that is eating, the presenter calls him Shaka(Kinky tail's other name) but I'm not sure who the male is.







































So, when they leave the lion eating, they go to find the third Mapogo of the day, Mr.T. They find him around the 7 minute mark in this first video, and then in the other you can see Mr.T busy scent marking while he's looking for his brothers.













Reply I agree with you, Sanjay.Jack-T I understand what you mean. But like you said, this is a thread about the Mapogo males. A little off topic conversation is not a bad thing, but more and more of this fighting serves no purpose. So, let it go. Concentrate on the lions.Now, here are some old videos of them, this is the sunrise safari of Wildearth, dated Jan 12th 2008, and this was after the attack of the Mapogos over the Nkuhuma pride, where they killed some cubs. There are several videos, but don't worry, all are pretty short. First, we encounter two of the lions eating a giraffe. One of them I think it's Dreadlocks, and the other one that is eating, the presenter calls him Shaka(Kinky tail's other name) but I'm not sure who the male is.So, when they leave the lion eating, they go to find the third Mapogo of the day, Mr.T. They find him around the 7 minute mark in this first video, and then in the other you can see Mr.T busy scent marking while he's looking for his brothers. ‘Like night-watchmen they patrol the dark nights; marching with intent and chasing all those unwanted into the shadows…those that do not run are removed’ The following 6 users Like Tshokwane 's post: 6 users Like Tshokwane 's post

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Jack-T





New Member 18 Replies 2 Topics Joined: Jun 2015 Reputation: 0 #88

So, let it go.



Concentrating on the Mapogos.



Lets start about letting us talk about the same lion.



They had some different names.

Some of them confusing.

Also their related age was confusing also.



Bellow , their names , with first of them the most common NOWADAYS.

1. Makulu 10/1998 AKA Ngalalalekha



2. The “twins”

a. Rasta 01/2000 AKA DREADLOCKS , Red , Leonidas, T2

b. Pretty boy 01/2000 AKA Bent Spine.



3. Dreadlocks 03/1998 AKA Snip Tail.

‘--- Some insist that Dreadlocks/Snip Tail was older than twins. In any case it’s about a couple of months , so its not that important.



5. Kinky Tail 10/2000 AKA Shaka.

6. Mr T 10/2000 AKA Satan , Mohawk.



It’s gonna be continued with their relation between each other. Reply The following 3 users Like Jack-T 's post: 3 users Like Jack-T 's post

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Jack-T





New Member 18 Replies 2 Topics Joined: Jun 2015 Reputation: 0 #89

Blood relation.



Some say that Makulu was blood unrelated to rest Mapogos.



Some say that it was a cub that te pride had lost monts ago.



Some say that Makulu was a son of West street males , from another pride , that’s why they (the West street males) tolerated him.



My 2 sents opinion , is that Makulu (with his size , attidute and brains ) helped the West street males a lot. Sot that was the reason they tolerated his presence.



Concerning to Mapogos , to my humple opinion , no Mapogos without Makulu.



Now lets come to the last 2 ones. Reply The following 2 users Like Jack-T 's post: 2 users Like Jack-T 's post

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Jack-T





New Member 18 Replies 2 Topics Joined: Jun 2015 Reputation: 0 #90

Now lets come to the last 2 ones.



Some say they were not West street males offspring , but the Roller Coaster ones.



Whom ever , believies what they like.



So … I do believe that Kinky and Mt T , were RollerCoaster offsprings.



Just take a look to Cleo (nowadays already deed) , ex Solo’s buddy.

He was a RollerCoaster offspring.



Just take a look.

And beyond a look on just the icon, try to see to what that lion had stand of.

To those that at time were “following” him , he was remining of KT and MrT.



After the blood relation its coming the “bond” relation between them.



But more about that tomorrow.

Its already 4:30 at the morning here.



So lets have a good morning , or whatever , and we can continue n some hours.



Regards to all. Reply The following 3 users Like Jack-T 's post: 3 users Like Jack-T 's post

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