Mapogo lion coalition

The Mapogo lion coalition was a band of male South African lions that controlled the Sabi Sand region in Kruger National Park between 2006 and 2012. Researchers named the coalition for a brutal security company.

The coalition became infamous for their sheer power and strength in taking over and dominating an area of approximately 70,000 ha (170,000 acres). It is believed the Mapogos killed in excess of 40 lions and cubs in a little over a year. The statistics may be higher given their coverage of such large territories. At its peak, the coalition consisted of six males: the leader Makulu (also spelled as Makhulu), Rasta, Scar (also known as Dreadlocks), Pretty Boy, Kinky Tail and Mr. T.

History

The Mapogo coalition originated from Mala Mala from what was called the "Eyrefield Pride" (Sparta Pride) and moved into the Western Sector in 2006. The Mapogo lions followed a recent trend in the Sabi Sand Reserve of mega pride male lion coalitions. The five related brothers were sired by a similar mega pride coalition of five male lions. In their quest to dominate the area, the six lions killed approximately 40 other lions which included many cubs, females, and rival adult males.

The oldest Mapogo male, Makulu, is believed to be the paternal half-brother to the other five lions. The story is that the original Sparta pride lost a male sub-adult of 20 to 21 months of age in May/June 2000 and in July 2000, this male of about the same age latched on to the original pride. Though not readily accepted by the lionesses, the West Street Males tolerated him and did not kill him, even though typically, intruding males of his age would be chased off or killed. Field experts believe a likely reason for his acceptance into the pride was because he may have been the offspring of one of the West Street Males and a lioness from another pride (therefore making him the Mapogos' half brother).

In the first months of 2006, the five subadult lions and Makulu left their pride. They now had to fight for themselves, but by sticking together they increased their survival chances. Whilst living among themselves, the lions learned to be successful hunters. As they grew in size and experience, they were able to take down large prey such as hippos, young rhinos, and even giraffes. According to Dave Salmoni, successfully taking down cape buffalo was their "key to success". During the buffalo hunts, Kinky Tail (also called Shaka) and Mr. T (also called Satan) were often observed being more aggressive in bringing down the buffalo.

Rise of the Mapogo coalition

The Mapogos first pride clash was in 2006. The Mapogo lions entered the northern Sabi Sand, which was ruled by four dominant males. Immediately upon arrival, the Mapogos managed to kill one of the males, and the remaining three were driven off. With the Ottawa pride's male lion driven off, three lionesses and 11 cubs remained. The six Mapogos quickly found and killed all 11 Ottawa cubs, with reports of Mr. T even eating some of the cubs, despite cannibalistic behavior in lions being uncommon.

With all competition eliminated, the Mapogos had successfully controlled eight prides. They were the dominant male coalition of Sabi Sand and killed more than 100 lions from the neighbouring prides during their rule.

Split in the coalition

The coalition ruled a large territory, however their internal functions were bumpy and riddled with internal competition and rivalry. Many fights were observed between them, particularly with Mr. T, Kinky Tail and Makulu, both of whom had something of a large inter-rivalry. This rivalry escalated into a heavy fight between Mr. T and Makulu where Makulu was able to bite through one of Mr. T's paws and win the fight. This fight may have caused or drastically accelerated the split. In 2008, soon after the fight and for the first time ever recorded, the coalition split into 2 smaller coalitions with Kinky Tail and Mr. T moving out to the coalition's eastern territory and Makulu, Rasta, Scar and Pretty Boy staying in the west. There was an overlap region among the two territories, and the two coalitions occasionally met up with most interactions being friendly; however, it was clear that the two coalitions had very distinct regions and most likely wouldn't reform in the foreseeable future. Additionally, the way Mr. T and Kinky Tail would control their territory was in a way that would "protect" their brothers in the west, since the only way to enter the western Mapogos was through the east, which was actively patrolled by Kinky Tail and Mr. T

Arrival of the Majingilane

Mr. T and Kinky Tail were then seen patrolling and guarding their territory for two years, managing to fight off other rival lions. However, in June 2010, a coalition of five male lions named the Majingilanes entered in Mapogo territory to take over. The five males were witnessed scent-marking and roaring loudly near the Mapogo's territory. In a buffalo hunt, Kinky Tail and Mr. T were able to isolate the youngest of Majingilane males who was on lookout and began chasing him. Soon they caught the intruder and Mr. T bit down on the male's neck, Kinky Tail ripped apart the male's groin area inflicting tears and bleeding. It was also noticed that Kinky Tail would roar when he was biting into the Majingilane, showing dominance. The Majingilane male tried to fight back, and did manage to injure both Mr. T in the nose, and Kinky Tail in his paw. Eventually Kinky Tail and Mr. T managed to break the 5th Majingilane lion's spine and he was left immobilized and left to die a few hours later. The two brothers were then seen treating their injuries.

Kinky Tail's death

Later that same night of the death of the Majingilane male, a filming crew witnessed the four remaining younger Majingilane lions on the move. Two of them were exposed to Kinky Tail, who immediately charged on them all by himself. They ran with KT on their tail, and the remaining two Majingilane lions came up behind KT. Eventually on a dirt road, under a cloud of dust, the four Majingilanes had pinned down Kinky Tail. The four males immediately started to bite and rip apart Kinky Tail. One lion was biting at his neck, another at his back; the third bit off Kinky Tail's testicles and genitalia. The Majingilanes managed to successfully snap Kinky Tail's spine, thus immobilizing him and leaving him with no chance of survival. Mr. T eventually arrived and attempted to rescue and fight off the Majingilanes, but was outnumbered and outmaneuvered and forced to flee. Two Majingilanes attempted to track Mr. T, but were unsuccessful and returned to kill Kinky Tail. The four lions had started eating most of Kinky Tail's hind legs and his entire tail. He was seen taking his last breath while being eaten alive. During the altercation, Mr. T attempted again to save his brother.

Mr. T and his brothers reunited

After the death of his brother, Mr. T headed West to return to the rest of the old coalition. Field guides were afraid the 4 would chase him off and kill him, but instead they welcomed him back and he managed to peacefully coexist with the other 4 again. However, soon after being accepted back, Mr. T began to start to track down, massacre and eat his brothers cubs. His brothers did nothing to stop him and Mr. T quickly began mating with the pride females; taking over the coalition as the new king of the west. Then shortly after this, Rasta disappeared from the coalition. The reason why is unknown, but it's thought he was either killed by poachers or the Majingilane. Around the same time, Scar left the game reserve and was shot by locals shortly after, cutting the Mapogos down to just 3 members: Makulu (13), Pretty Boy (11) and Mr. T(Either 9 or 10).

Death of Mr. T

On March 16, 2012, a new rival coalition called the Selatis would arrive in the last of Mapogo territory through the south. The four of them were able to single out and attack a single member of the Mapogos – Mr. T. Although, it is rumored that his 2 brothers, Pretty Boy and Makulu, were not at the scene just before the battle, and Mr T was the only one there. By the time the film crew and wildlife officials came to the scene, Mr. T had already suffered the attack. He had many wounds all over his front and shoulders as well as a large bite taken into his spine that paralyzed his back legs. The four Selatis would attack him in a consistent pattern of distracting Mr. T from the front to allow them to flank him, bite his spine and maul him for about 20 seconds. The Selatis would then stop, move away, wait, then begin the assault again. This pattern was repeated several times before the Selatis then left the crippled Mr. T to die by the road.

The last remaining Mapogos, Makulu and Pretty Boy had to leave their territory to Selatis, fought a coalition of two Kruger males (Freddy and Limper) to occupy their territory and were driven off their territory. One of the Kruger males (Limper) later died due to injuries from Makulu. They were sighted in 2012 side by side, entering the Kruger National Park through the gate attributed to Paul Kruger. The remaining two were once again seen feeding on a buffalo in October–November 2012. In January 2013, Makulu was seen for the last time alone at Mala Mala, neighboring his old haunt, the Sabi Sand Reserve. At this point, he was almost 15 years old and largely exceeded the average life expectancy for male lions.

In film

Daniel Huertas directed the documentary Brothers in Blood: The Lions of Sabi Sand, which was released in 2015 in the UK. The documentary summarized the 16-year span of the rise and eventual fall of the Mapogo coalition. The documentary aired as an eight-episode series in the United States on Animal Planet.