Lion Politics on the Ngamo Plains

Imvelo’s guides and guests have the chance to become ‘citizen scientists,’ to take note of some of the key wildlife they see and share records with the real scientists studying Hwange’s wildlife. Following the lives and movements of individuals can be done by collaring with transmitters – or by learning to recognize individuals by their distinguishing features. It becomes easier for us ‘citizen scientists’ to remember individuals whose physical characteristics we have noted and described, if we give them names.

These photos ‘caught in the act’, were recently taken by lucky guests enjoying a game drive on the Ngamo Plains, near Bomani and Camelthorn in Hwange National Park. The male lion mating is Lesang, the female Tegwane (with the collar), matriarch of the Ngamo Pride who is being monitored by Hwange Lion Research. The other female sighted at the same time is Thandeka who is Tegwane’s niece or daughter.

Lesang is a well-known character among the guides at Bomani and Camelthorn – one of a coalition of five males known as ‘The Baggage Handlers.’ You may well ask why do they have that name? Quite a story: in August 2018 they were youngsters around Linkwasha airstrip. They took a bag that was in the open pod of an aeroplane that was parked on the airstrip, and distributed the contents all over the air field. Since then, they have been known as The Baggage Handlers! The oldest, Lesang, was the name of the chef that the bag belonged to. Lesang is son of Cecil, the world-famous Hwange lion, and came from one of his last litters before he was killed in 2015. The other four Baggage Handlers are sons of another well-known male who ruled at Ngamo for a year or so circa 2017.

As of early 2019, Ngamo had a lioness pride ruled by Nomvelo, Nandi and Tegwane, plus a host of cubs of two generations. All the males later dispersed, but there was one female cub we called Thandeka (Beloved) who stayed. Nomvelo and Nandi later moved east to start again but Tegwane and Thandeka remained on the Ngamo Plains.

Tegwane had cubs that were last seen mid October 2020, already a few months old (father uncertain), and all through October and November she was ‘luring’ (code for polyamorous coupling to sexually brainwash new males and keep them away from cubs sired by another male). By end of December the cubs had not been seen for over two months and are suspected to have been killed by Lesang. The current bout of coupling between Lesang, The Baggage Handlers and Tegwane and Thandeka, with phlemening, as well as smelling and licking, would suggest a real oestrus, and no longer luring, and if so, we hope to see new cubs around May this year.

Lesang appears to have solidified his claim to Tegwane now, but his honeymoon has been hard won, his face resembling that of a losing cage fighter as can be seen below in the top left photo. However, in the interests of ‘citizen science’, the other males in the coalition of the ‘the Baggage Handlers’ who appear to have settled at Ngamo now are ready to be identified by name too.

The smaller and more playful one, ever curious and affectionate towards his coalition brothers, has a short tail, presumably from an injury when he was younger; his name is easy – Half Tail, also recognized from the front by a small horizontal scar on the inside of his right eye. Half tail makes an appearance in the top right photo below with Delta where his ‘Half tail’ is clearly visible.

Then there’s Delta, Qantas and Virgin – keeping with the airline theme of The Baggage Handlers. Delta is recognized by small notches on his left ear and a pair of scars on the right side of his face above his right eye and is pictured bottom left above. Qantas has an unscarred face and a small notch in his right ear and can be seen in the bottom right photo above. Virgin doesn’t feature in this line up as we lack a good photo of him yet, but for now he can be recognized by a process of elimination.

But like so many of the male lions who have dominated at Ngamo, they appear to love the railway track which our Elephant Express travels, even to the point, in the case of Half Tail, of actually licking the railway tracks – and as mere ‘citizen scientists’, for this we have no explanation at all!