The predators you are almost guaranteed to see in the Mara Triangle are lions, big ones and many small ones. Visiting the Mara Triangle in October is purposeful because it is outside the main wildebeest migration period. The main reason we visit the Triangle at this time is that the tourist traffic is substantially less, the predators have to work harder for their food and so are more often seen during the day and there is a wonderful build up of cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds in the afternoons which provide dramatic backdrops and colourful skies.
“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.” ~ Stephen Hawkings
The broader Masai Mara National Reserve and its surrounding conservancies is home to a massive population of roughly 850 to 900 lions. The Mara Triangle itself is a distinct management area covering about 510 square kilometres. There are an estimated 80 to 95 lions living specifically within the Mara Triangle. Each pride occupies a defined territory, with males defending the area while females do most of the hunting and cub rearing. Seasonal events like the Great Migration provide abundant food, which helps sustain large, well established prides within the ecosystem. The exact number of active prides Mara Triangle varies depending on seasonal prey migration and male coalition takeovers.
“The lion’s courage is foraged in the crucible of adversity, and its roar is the anthem of triuymph over adversity.” ~ Rashida Rowe
The Triangle shares an open, unfenced border with Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, so these numbers constantly fluctuate. When the Great Migration moves south to the Ndutu plains between January and March, resident lion prides in the Mara Triangle (and the greater northern Serengeti/Maasai Mara region) shift their focus to non-migratory resident game, primarily hunting African buffalo, topis, zebras, warthogs, and various resident antelopes. Lions are highly territorial and do not follow the migration outside their home ranges, so they must adapt to the seasonal absence of the massive wildebeest herds.
“Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature’s inexorable imperative.” ~ H.G.Wells
We found a lone male lion feeding on a carcass in an open area of grassland next to the junction between the Main road and Olare road. It was not clear whether this male lion had made or stolen the kill. The carcass was obscured by the long grass so we could not tell whether it was a topi or wildebeest.
A pair of Black-backed jackals waited just out of striking distance of the male lion. At times they got surprisingly close and it just took a stare from the male lion to get the jackals to back off.
This looked to be a middle-aged lion about four to five years of age. He had dark freckles and spots on his nose and his face had few serious scars, both of which were hallmarks of a middle-aged male.
“When you are close to a male lion and he stares at you and does not roar, listen.” ~ Mike Haworth
We found this lioness close to the Mara river near Miti Moja crossing point. There were three lionesses and two of them had four cubs between them. There were two cubs around four months old and two were 10 to 12 months old. Judging from her teats this lioness was not lactating and her cubs had been weaned.
These two cubs belonged to the two lionesses we saw at Miti Moja. To accurately age a lion cub up to two years old, a combination of height relative to an adult female, eye colour, coat spots, and mane development is used. These visual cues are used because researchers and safari guides rarely know exact birth dates in the wild. The two older cubs in the images below were probably four and 10-12 months old.
“You are never too young to lead, and never too old to learn.” ~ Kofi Annan
When you are a massive male lion you can lie wherever you want. This male was lying close to a lugga with water in it and there was plenty of prey in the inselberg area.
On our first morning in the Mara Triangle we went looking for a lioness and her four cubs but found two leopards instead. The next day early in the morning we found a single lioness with her cubs. Their mother had hidden them in the crotons on the west bank of the Mara river at the Maji Machafu crossing area. It is well known that the mother leaves the pride to give birth in a safe, hidden den. The older cubs can be dangerously rough with the newborns.
Based on the height of the cubs and the colour of their eyes, I guessed they must have been two to three months old. The cubs were small enough to just fit under their mother’s belly and their eyes had transitioned from blue-green to amber-brown in colour.
“Nobody can dim the light that shines from within.” — Maya Angelou
A lioness typically gives birth to two to four cubs per litter, with two to three cubs being the most common number. Litters can rarely range from one up to six cubs. A lioness only has four teats so litters larger than four are very difficult to nurse.
Mothers bring their cubs back to the pride when they are four to eight weeks old when they are strong enough to cope with the rough and tumble from the older larger cubs. Lion cubs start eating meat at around three months old, and the weaning process is usually finished when they are between six and 10 months old.
In the wild, the survival rate of lion cubs below one year old is roughly 40% to 50%, meaning that 50% to 60% of cubs die before their first birthday. In harsher regions or periods of intense conflict, mortality can spike even higher, with up to 80% of cubs failing to reach two years of age. The relatively low survival rate is due to infanticide by new male lions, starvation, predation by leopards and hyaenas when the cubs are left alone while their mother has to hunt. They are also vulnerable to disease as young cubs lack fully developed immune systems, making them highly vulnerable to common parasites and viral infections.
On our second last morning we found the lone lioness walking back to Maji Machafu crossing area where she had hidden the cubs. It is possible that she joined the other two lionesses to hunt the night before but she had no signs of blood on her face or paws.
On our second last morning we were driving past Peninsula crossing point along the Bottom River road when our guide Kenneth saw a male lion lying in the open warming himself with the early morning sun. He was wide awake and alert. After watching for about ten minutes he got up and began to scent mark the croton bushes close by and then went to lie down again in the shade.
We were not sure but he suddenly got up crossed a lugga and walked with purpose toward the Maji Machafu crossing area. He must have heard a contact call which none of us in the vehicle heard.
It was interesting that, although he was aware of the two lionesses and cubs off to his right, he ignored them and walked to the bank of the Mara river then we lost sight of him in the croton thickets. He must have been one of the dominant males in that pride.
“Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” — John Wooden
On our last morning, we found the same male in a similar area but the other side of the Bottom River road. He was lying in the long grass about 300 metres from the road. Again something caught his attention and he got up and started walking back to the same area as the day before.
This male lion looked to be six to seven years old. We did not see his teeth but his face was heavily scarred and the skin around his jaw was starting to loosen. He had a full mane but it was not a heavy black mane though his body structure suggested he was still in prime physical condition.
“Youth is the gift of nature, but age is a work of art.” ~ Stanislaw Jerzy Lec
After watching the large male lion walk back towards Maji Machafu we left him in peace and decided to have one final search for the lone lioness and cubs at Maji MaChafu. We found the lioness lying in the morning sun with the cubs carefully tucked away in the croton thicket closeby. The hot air balloon in the background suggested that it was early in the morning. There was beautiful soft warm morning light on the lioness.
As a final goodbye on our way back to the Serena airstrip to fly back to Nairobi we found this male lion lying on top of an anthill, fast asleep in the middle of the day right next to the road.
We were fortunate to have had some wonderful lion sightings in the six days we travelled around the Mara Triangle from out Wild Eye Enkushui Safari camp base.
“Wild Eye – capture a look of untamed freedom, intensity, and creativeness lifted from ordinary rules.”
In the Mara Triangle, the lions are distributed across approximately 10 distinct prides. Between six and 10 primary, resident lion prides occupying territories completely or partially within the Mara Triangle at any given time.
“Families are the compass that guides us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter.” ~ Elizabeth Gilbert
The Triangle supports roughly 17 to 19 lions per 100 square kilometres. While the greater Masai Mara ecosystem boasts one of the highest lion populations in Africa, long-term wildlife monitoring data shows that the private conservancies bordering the north of main reserve have the highest density of lions. Scientific surveys published by the Mara Predator Conservation Programme and Researchers from Oxford University show the highest concentrations of free-roaming wild lions in Africa are found in the Ol Kinyei and the Olare Motorogi Conservancies. The higher lion density in the Masai Mara usually lowers the chance of seeing other predators such as leopards and cheetahs. The Mara Triangle offers a good balance of likely lion, leopard and cheetah sightings.
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.
Have fun, Mike
