WEST STREET ✯ Lion Legend Of Mala Mala | Lions of Africa № 02

🦁 Lions of Africa: West Street male coalition [Sabi Sands, South Africa] *1990 - 2004*
Londoz5 of Sabi Sand
🔱 Note: The Males were a coalition of five male lions from Sabi Sands. They are well known among many lion enthusiasts for being the fathers of the Mapogos but they were also a successful coalition in their own right. This post will cover their story, as well as more details on the origin of the Mapogos.
The five West Street Males were known as Broken Nose, Mak Senior, Blondie, Scar Eyebrow & Scar Nose. They were born around 1990 and most likely originated from somewhere in Kruger. In 1992, the significant moment occurred which would shape the future of the coalition after the existing fence between Kruger & Sabi Sands was removed. With the fence gone, this would allow free movement of wildlife between the two previously fragmented areas. This meant that nomadic males from Kruger were able to travel over greater distances, moving further away from the territory of their natal prides and into Sabi Sands. As well as the obvious benefit to them, this would also help to spread the gene pool within the population across a greater area. It is likely the West Street Males entered Sabi Sands around 1994 in search of a territory of their own. Having taken over the Othawa Pride they sired the Split Rock Males, and at some point within the next two years they took over the Ximhungwe/Castleton Pride, siring the Rollercoaster Males in 1996. They were also dominant over the Windmill Pride and possibly the Charleston Pride at some stage, but due to the lack of information from that time it is difficult to confirm exactly how many/which prides they controlled during their impressive reign.
Having firmly established themselves as the main dominant coalition within Sabi Sands, the West Street Males had further expansion in their sights. In 1998, the now 8 year old males moved to take over the Sparta/Eyrefield Pride which had been controlled by the two Manyeleti Males known as Black Mane & Golden Mane Manyeleti since the early part of the decade.
The Sparta/Eyrefield Pride takeover was one of many important milestones in 1998 for the West Street Males. In that same year, the famous Tsalala/Marthly Pride was formed after two lionesses broke away from the Ximhungwe/Castleton Pride. BB, the original tailless lioness and daughter of the West Street Males was born into the pride and would later become a legend in her own right. From one legend to another, 1998 was also the year in which Makhulu was born into the Ximhungwe Pride. This young male cub was destined for greatness, and would go on to perform a crucial role in the future of his fathers in addition to the origins of the Mapogo coalition.
By 2000, the WSM were approaching 10 years old and now past their prime years. They appeared to have settled down with the Sparta Pride and no longer had any interest in extending their territory further. Age was already beginning to catch up with them and they were no longer as imposing or confident as they once were. In the years since the West Street Males had taken over the Sparta Pride they hadn’t been able to replicate their earlier success in terms of offspring, but this was all about to change. In 2001, several litters of cubs were born into the pride which included five young males (Mapogos). They faced strong competition from the coalition of three known as the old Mlowathi Males who were dominant over the Styx Pride at the time. These two coalitions clashed between late 2000 and mid 2001, resulting in the loss of Scar Nose & Scar Eyebrow. In 2002, the 3 remaining West Street Males enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence during their reign. Having managed to chase away their sons the Rollercoaster Males, they were also sighted patrolling their territory much more frequently than before. They then suffered a setback in early 2003 when Blondie passed away after rapidly losing condition, likely as a result of Bovine TB. The West Street Males along with the added support of Makhulu remained unchallenged and everything was going well. That was until late 2003, when the two remaining Split Rock Males began to make major inroads into the territory to test the strength of their fathers. At 14 years old, Broken Nose & Mak Senior had defied expectations and soldiered on for many years after being written off by many, but their condition had now deteriorated significantly and they simply had nothing more left to give. Mak Sen was the first to go, and just a few weeks later Broken Nose followed to signal the end of the West Street Males decade long reign of dominance in Sabi Sands. At the time of their death, the impressive legacy left behind by the West Street Males . But the future coalition of the six Mapogos was the major achievement of the West Street Males reign.

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