December 9, 2019 – Africa Blog #9
During the brief window of time when the Mara’s early morning light was golden, allowing us to shoot our subjects backlit and rimmed with light, this very imposing lion strolled into range of our lenses.I am not a lion expert, or an African wildlife expert, by any means. I gleaned my information from the drivers, guides and workshop leaders who live and work in this amazing realm, so foreign to our Western world, and generously shared with us a brief glimpse of their envirionment. Once home I engaged in online research to try to get my facts straight – although the Googled facts I found don’t always mesh with each other!
I posted this photo on my Facebook page and it was shared in turn by a Kenyan who identified this big cat by his Maasai name, Lolparpit. Lolparpit is quite famous, one of the most successful lions to have ever lived in the Mara. His name means ‘Big Hair’, which is certainly appropriate for this fellow. It is believed that the purpose of the male lion’s mane is the protection of his neck and throat in territorial fights. A full and luxurious mane indicates success on the battlefield. Female lions prefer to mate with males with dense, dark manes, a sign of strength and fighting success in male-to-male confrontations.
Lolparpit is currently one of the dominant males of the Double Cross/Enkoyonai Pride in the Maasai Mara along with his brother Olbarnoti (which means Smaller Boy). Lolparpit and Olbarnoti were both born in 2005 in the Ridge Pride, and from what I have learned online they are quite possibly the oldest lions still surviving in the territory. A wild lion only lives for 10-15 years so the brothers are certainly at the upper end of the longevity scale. Usually, the old males ultimately succumb to injuries sustained in battle with younger, stronger cats for control of a pride. In captivity, lions can survive for 20-25 years.
That said – some simple statistics. A lion weighs anywhere from 300-550 pounds, males being significantly larger than females and averaging 420 pounds. African lions stand 4 feet at the shoulder and measure about 9 or 10 feet from nose to tail. Their main prey is the ungulates, hooved beasts like the wildebeest and zebras who populate the African grasslands in great numbers, but they will eat anything they can catch from ostrich eggs to buffalo. If they can catch it, they will eat it. A lion can devour 70 pounds of meat in just one meal. The lionesses are the providers who stalk, tackle and take down the prey, but the males feed first and the cubs are last in the pecking order before the scavengers. Adult lions sleep some 20 hours per day, although to our eyes the cubs appeared to be in perpetual motion!Lions are considered a vulnerable species and could be extinct by 2050! Loss of habitat is a leading contender for blame, but poaching, disease and climate change all contribute. Because they can be a threat to domestic herd animals like cattle and sheep they are often shot and killed as predators. The game they feed on is also dwindling, again due to loss of habitat and a free-range environment.
A lion pride consists of two or three male lions, several females, and cubs ranging in age from newborns to teens. When young male lions approach sexual maturity, somewhere around two years of age, they are ousted from their birth pride and have to make their way alone, or in coalition with other rejected males, until they develop enough strength and machismo to challenge the reigning male lions and fight their way back into a pride. A successful challenger will kill the cubs sired by the loser. The Darwinian concept at play is for the DNA of the dominant male to replace that of the defeated, ensuring that the gene pool in succeeding generations reflects the influence of the strongest of the species. Some lionesses, however, have been known to employ clever strategies to protect their cubs, even disguising their parentage, in an effort to protect them from assassination.
Lolparpit himself exemplifies this concept. He has sired countless offspring who themselves are passing his genetic makeup on to future generations. Two of the most dominant coalitions of male pride lions, a group of 6 brothers and a group of 4 brothers, were sired by him as well as numerous daughters.
His life story documents a fascinating history of association with different lion prides through the years, based on his wins and losses in such territorial battles. Through them all, he shared his dominance in coalition with Olbarnoti. These two old grandfathers, even if separated for a lengthy period of time, still greet each other with affection when they meet as shown in this YouTube video.
Apparently, Lolparpit was badly injured a few months ago in a fight and there was doubt as to whether or not he would survive. But the KWS (Kenya Wildlife Services) vets stepped in, and here he still is looking glorious in old age. It was a privilege to see this icon of the Maasai Mara.
