We recently revisited our old stomping ground in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, while #RoamingTheWild for Sun Destinations. Among many other fantastic wildlife experiences, the team had an exciting lion sighting while on drive with nThambo Tree Camp – with one of the famous Vuyela Males and his offspring.
Vuyela History
In summary, The Vuyela Coalition first made its appearance in this corner of the Klaserie in 2018. They were young, uncoordinated and bouncing between territories ruled by older, more experienced males. There were five males in the coalition, trailed by a female. She was presumed to be a sister to the males and was nicknamed ‘Tika’ by local guides. As they got older, the coalition gained notoriety from their skill at tackling giraffe. In 2021, the coalition turned on their sister and killed her in cold blood.
First Sighting
Fast-forward to the present day: while revisiting this part of Klaserie for the first time in over a year, we got to see two of the Vuyela males, along with the offspring they have sired. Our first lion sighting with Nthambo Tree Camp happened on evening drive. Firstly, we had heard about the sighting over the radio. After waiting for the first vehicles on site to cycle through the sighting, we pulled in to find one of the Vuyela males lying on the warm sand. Soon after our arrival, he gave us a show with a brilliant evening roar. The perfect way to end a game drive.
Playful Cubs
Subsequently, the next morning we were back one the hunt for lions! We got lucky once again! A different Vuyela male was on the move with some females and cubs! We were elated to see the new generation of the Vuyela bloodline in the Klaserie. There were some very cute moments with the cubs that we absolutely loved capturing!
The Vuyela Male
Finally, the main star of the show: the Vuyela male took his stroll through the frame. We could tell it wasn’t his first time on camera the way he gave us a blue-steel stare just at the right moment. Certainly he has grown-up to be a beautiful male! It’s been such a privilege to watch his grow.
Of course, there are loads more sighting updates where that came from. Keep an eye on our blog and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.
