5 Rival Males vs 1 Starving Lion Nobody Saw This Coming

The Manuanas are approaching Nzuri with purpose. Good day everybody and welcome to the virtual safari at Tinswalu. We have heard some distressing news that Nzuri and the Mberi pride have been spotted on the Timbavati and Manuleti borderline but Nzuri is not looking in good condition and the Mberi pride are in fact rejecting him. We're gonna make our way and see if we can try and locate them. We have finally found Nzuri and he's not by himself. He is with the Manuana coalition. Just before we arrived my colleague Jared saw the five Manuana males chasing Nzuri. This coalition of male lions only very recently had infamously killed and eaten the Torchwood male lion. Nzuri is in clear desperate need of a meal. Sunset half an hour ago and this Manuana male still gorging on this carcass. Looking for better pickings. Two and a half meters away from the Manuana. Hidden in the long grass there is a healthy chunk of meat and that's what Nzuri is edging towards. I'm not too sure the Manuanas will be happy with him taking the good meat. Now at that meat there was one growl on the Manuana. Very very interesting. While Nzuri is feasting on that prime piece of meat the Manuana that was laying next to him has gone over to the carcass and mostly very dry skin on this. Very dry meat and full of maggots. But he seems content to eat this and let Nzuri have that rather fresher meat. If one didn't know better you'd think that these were coalition partners and not mortal enemies. Deciding that it isn't worth it. What's happening here with the Manuanas coming in as well as the Nari and Mbiris. Unfortunately we can't be at all places at once but I do get to discuss it with the virtual safari members in real time as well. So if you aren't a member and you'd like to join in and not miss out please join us today. You can find a link below. We'd love to have you there and be a part of this discussion. With the Manuanas crowding the good meat Nzuri has resigned himself to the scraps and it is now closing on curfew time. So we have to make our way back to the lodge and there's no telling what's going to happen overnight. So needless to say we're going to be out first thing tomorrow morning. Look at the carcass before sunrise. No sign of Nzuri just yet. We have got three Manuana males. There is a lot of long grass around and with such fat full lions they will be splayed out. We'll continue looking. Just these two feasting and another one lying to the right of them. It's Nzuri and he's definitely eaten overnight. His belly is a lot fuller and as far as we can tell he hasn't got into a fight either. No fresh wounds on his face, on his forelegs, no bite marks on his rump either. While Nzuri rests on the mound I've been chatting to my colleague and friend here Jordan who joined me for the morning to view this extraordinary behavior and we've been trying to explain it at least to ourselves and the best we can come up with is that there is just so much food that the Manuanas aren't that bothered with Nzuri as well as no females being around and the Manuanas are also just outside of their own territory. In fact in Nzuri's territory. So all those factors together might just explain this bizarre behavior we're seeing. Nzuri is up for the first time since we've been here looking over to the Manuanas. I've no doubt this has not been the most restful sleep he's had. One eye open the whole night and of course with the smell of death comes the hyenas. The wily jackal searching for scraps on the outskirts. The wind has picked up and so has the temperature. Nzuri found himself a spot in the shade. The Manuana is still about 50 meters away at the carcass. With the amount of available meat now substantially depleted one does have to wonder how will that affect the Manuana's reaction to Nzuri if he tries to approach to feed once again. Nzuri is up. He's facing towards the Manuanas in the carcass but dare he venture that way. He's making his move. We've seen Nzuri lying on the ground there. He didn't notice him until now. The Manuanas are approaching Nzuri with purpose. Two Manuanas remain guiding Nzuri while the other two you would have heard walking past me. With the sun beginning to set over Nzuri and the Manuanas will his decision to stay with such a formidable foe prove to be brave or foolish? Only time will tell. While the Manuanas continue to slowly feed on the carcass other than licking his wounds occasionally Nzuri has not budged. Unfortunately it is fast approaching the curfew time but we'll be out first thing tomorrow to see what has transpired. He's alive. He arrived at the carcass and just limping away from it while the Manuana currently feeds is Nzuri. He's made it through the night. Nzuri's grooming indicating that he has been allowed to feed. So the Manuanas not only sparing his life but letting him share the table with him but of course at a price. over the last few days we have gotten to witness something almost unimaginable. A male lion in his prime but injured in battle struggling to survive and rejected by his pride faces up to a coalition of five infamous lion knowing for killing and eating other male lions and at the end of it all he comes out with a full belly and a chance of survival. We don't know what the future holds for this lion and this coalition. Is this perhaps the start of a new partnership or just a temporary truce in the battle of lion dominance? To earn a living every safari guide relies on the generosity of their guests and as your virtual guide I am no different. 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