South Luangwa
MWAMBA-KAPANDA
PRIDE
Writer: Thandiwe Mweetwa: Photography: Zambian Carnivore Programme
T
he story of the Mwamba-Kapanda Pride perfectly illustrates the fierce battles for supremacy and the tragedies that characterise inter-pride relations in wild lion populations. The pride occupies the northern boundary of the Zambian Carnivore Programme’s (ZCP) intensive study area in South Luangwa National Park (SLNP), roaming around Kapanda Lagoon and Chikaya Plain. The Mwamba-Kapandas were initially part of a super pride made up of nearly 40 lions, which ruled the Lion Plain/Mwamba areas up to 2008. The mega pride split up into the three sub-groups dubbed the Mwamba I, Mwamba II and Mwamba III prides. The Mwamba III Pride, now popularly known as the ‘Big Pride’, moved about 30 kilometres south and settled in the main game-viewing area of SLNP. The Mwamba I and II prides stayed north and are now commonly referred to as the Mwamba-Kaingo and Mwamba-Kapanda prides respectively. The Mwamba-Kaingos occupy the prime area along the Luangwa River while the Mwamba-Kapandas are further inland north-west of Lion Plain.
The northern sister prides have had a number of encounters over the years but none more brutal than the series of territorial disputes that occurred in mid-2013. The much smaller Mwamba-Kapanda Pride ventured south and made several buffalo kills in their sister pride’s territory. The Mwamba-Kaingos responded with swift hostility to the intrusion into their area. Outnumbered, the Mwamba-Kapandas lost six out of seven cubs in a series of hostile encounters. Some of these fatal disputes were caught on camera by safari guides working in the area. The lone surviving cub was separated from the pride for a few days after being abandoned during a confrontation. Since those incidents in 2013, the Mwamba-Kapandas have bounced back, numbering 18 strong in 2017 with nine adult females. The lone cub that survived is now a lioness in her prime at five years old. Safari guides operating in the area named her Chimozi, which means ‘Only Child’ in the Kunda language. In 2017, we had regular sightings of her as the pride started spending more time around Chikaya Plain. Chimozi is now a confident hunter who is brave enough to venture away from the safety of her pride.
The Mwamba-Kapanda Pride has been one of the ZCP’s study prides for nearly 10 years. As the 2018 field season commences and more parts of the park become accessible, we look forward to witnessing and documenting what the future holds for this extraordinary lioness and her pride. As one of only two study prides that occupy territories exclusively inside a protected area, data collected from following the Mwamba-Kapandas will be essential in improving our understanding of the ecological factors influencing lion population dynamics in our area.
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