Courteney Blunden is one of the founders of the Africa on Foot camp and a keen conservationist with a passion for lion pride dynamics. Boasting over 10 years guiding experience within a variety of private Kruger reserves , Courteney has been privileged enough to work with some of the most notorious lion prides in South Africa. These prides include: the Bartia Brothers in Madikwe, the Southern pride and Mighty Mapogos in the Sabi Sand and the dynamic Ross pride in the Klaserie/Timbavati region. Currently he is based in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve in the Kruger.
Today I’m chatting to Courteney who shares his intimate experiences with the lions of the Klaserie.
Why the keen interest in lion prides?
I have always been fascinated by lions. Lions are unique in the fact that they are truly social and live in family groups known as prides. Lions hunt cooperatively, defend territory together and will even rear one another’s young should the need arise. No other cat on earth in a natural system has this type of family unit.
What has been your most breathtaking “lion” moment?
By far one of my most memorable lion sightings in the Klaserie happened in 2008 right next to the Africa on Foot camp. It was nearing sunset and we were watching the Ross pride lazing around a small pan very close to camp. At this stage the Ross pride consisted of twenty adult females and four tiny cubs. The dominant male, Scar face, happened to be away on patrol. We were enjoying the moment when suddenly the entire pride started to walk directly towards a small open area. Deep inside a Purple-pod Terminalia thicket, on the edge of the clearing, were two buffalo bulls lying low.
In a matter of seconds, the pride pounced and a deadly fight began! With twenty adult lions, two buffalo and four tiny cubs it was chaos. One of the bulls was overpowered and the second charged off with a lioness clinging to his back and another hanging onto his neck. The whole struggle took about twenty minutes but it felt like an eternity. The very tough and lucky “Dagga boy” managed to escape with a new collection of war wounds including a torn off nose. For a few years after the showdown the bull was spotted in the reserve sporting a unique, torn-off nose!
To witness a kill in the wild is amazing but to see an ancient battle like this was a truly exceptional moment!
What has been your most heartbreaking moment ?
A truly heartbreaking part of nature is to witness young animals die, you never ever get used to it no matter how often it happens. Lion cub mortality is very high in a natural system and it goes against all that is human for us to not interfere. The Kruger Park and its surrounding reserves have a no interference policy which we, as safari lodge owners are bound to. Interfering is illegal – taking animals from the wild is poaching.
In 2012 one of the Ross pride females gave birth to two white cubs. The first cub was killed and eaten by an old injured female right in front our guests on a morning safari. The lioness was badly injured and her only means of survival was to prey on other lionesses cubs. She killed and ate two cubs.
A few months later the same female gave birth to another two cubs which meant a second white lion cub for the Ross pride. The pride was doing well and cubs were getting strong. One fateful night they hunted a giraffe bull and during the hunt the mother lion was badly hurt and thus unable to feed her cubs. The condition of both mother and cubs deteriorated rapidly; and although the mother soldiered on it was all in vain.
About fifteen days after the giraffe hunt the mother tried to move her cubs to join the rest of the pride but before reaching the pride she was found dead with her two cubs willing her back to life. The small white lion cub died and the pride found the tawny cub the following morning – unfortunately he was too far gone and also passed on.
How often have you seen the white lions?
There are two white females who are part of the Giraffe pride. They are twenty eight members strong and border us in the Timbavati. The Ross pride males are also the Giraffe pride males, which means there is no threat from the Timbavati. We see this pride every few weeks as they traverse a wide territory which crosses the Timbavati and ends inside the Kruger National Park.
When is the best time to visit the Klaserie to see lions?
Lion viewing in the Klaserie is great all year round and the Ross pride can be seen throughout the year.
Please contact us if you’d like to go on safari in an area rich with lion activity.
