Game drives are always unpredictable and we never know what interesting, incredible and sometimes shocking sightings we could come across in our African savanna.  This was once again the case when one of the Lion Sands Rangers came across the carcass of a young adult lioness in the southeastern corner of Lion Sands.  This young lioness was a familiar face to Lion Sands, a member of the Charleston Pride originating from the banks of the Sand River in the Sabi Sand Wildtuin.

Details of exactly what happened are not clear, but it seems as if the Charleston Pride was surprised by the much larger Southern Pride on the banks of the dry Msuthu River.  Reading the tracks and signs in the surrounding bush, it appears as if the Prides met in the early hours of the morning and a massive fight ensued between the rival lionesses, resulting in the death of one of the Charleston lionesses.  Encounters such as this are common as pride dynamics are continuously changing as prides continue to claim and defend territories. 

Follow the progress of the lionesses and cubs of both lion prides as well as other interesting stories and experiences on the Lion Sands Private Game Reserve Facebook Group.