First Time on Safari to Africa Questions

Rita Daggett Wrote:
The lions will rest, but in the afternoons they
will start to position themselves - just look where the Big Cat Diary
vehicles are going!
Talking of which - there was a programme on BBC TV recently about lions
being in trouble, and they quoted the famous Mara/Big Cat Diary prides
as
examples. I cant recall the details now, but it was to do with pride
structures breaking down with no mature males to take them over.
When we were in Zambia last year we were told that the lions in Lower
Zambezi were 'in a mess' - there were too many young males; few
females, and
if the females had cubs, one of the males would kill them, as there
wasnt a
strong enough 'pride male' to defend them.
--
Rita Daggett

Mark HomannTHis is indeed a sad threat to many Lions populations in Africa, Large
trophy males are taken in a quantity by hunters that is not sustainable
to the local populations.

*When a new Lion or pair of Lions (brothers will often pair up together
to increase thier chances and streght) take over a pride their first
instinct is to breed with them females so as to pass on their genes, to
do this they must first remove the young of the previous male to make
the lioness ovulate. They do this by either killing or chasing off the
young animals. *

*In a normal situation these new males will have 3 to 4 years to breed
with the females ensure that at least one litter of their young will
survive, sadly if these males are constantly removed from the pride the
females can no longer breed. Lion hunting was infact band in Botswana
and i belive in Zambia and there has been some talk of banning it in
some areas of Zimbabwe.*


--
Chomkuti
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