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The Lion Whisperer
  • 15 hours ago
A successful lion pairing and a rare sighting of white lions in the wild make for an unforgettable safari story. Kevin explains how the foundation helped bring a wild male lion and two females together on the reserve, then shares footage from a search for the white lions of Timbavati and Ingala.

At the water’s edge, the white lions rest, drink, groom and move through the bush as daylight fades and a red moon rises. This wildlife documentary-style safari encounter explores lion pride dynamics, natural behavior and the remarkable appearance of white lions in their habitat. For viewers searching for wild lion footage, African safari wildlife, white lions at a waterhole, or relaxing nature viewing, this is an intimate journey into the lives of these big cats.

Category

🐳
Animals
Transcript
00:00All right, hi guys. So I am sitting here and just out there is a wild male lion and a
00:09wild lioness here on our property.
00:14And the backstory is that that male is called the Kharigha male and that female is one of the Komab
00:22females.
00:23And my foundation has been involved in pairing these lions together.
00:31So the Komab two females were initially first came here and it's all part of Denneking trying to establish a
00:40pride in the southern side of the reserve.
00:43So the two females came first and then the male, the Kharigha male, was sourced from the Eastern Cape.
00:49So they come from two completely different areas and the job was to pair them up.
00:57So that was our job. So we took it on board and yeah, these things can go either way.
01:03But we took our time and we used all of our experience and knowledge in making sure that we followed
01:12all the right steps.
01:14And so what we eventually landed up doing was pairing these lions up together.
01:24It did take a while, but as you can see, it's been a success.
01:30And so he is mating with this female and he's mated with the other female.
01:35So, you know, I think we're going to be expecting some cubs really soon.
01:41So very, very chuffed about that. That is where the foundation has been heading.
01:46She's keeping a watchful eye on me because I'm talking.
01:49But as you can see, they're also very relaxed with cars, which is fantastic because it makes them ideal for
01:57lion tourism here at Denneking.
01:59So I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to introduce today's video sitting here with wild lions shot a
02:08few years back.
02:09Cameron and I went all the way to the Timbervati to the and beyond property in Gala.
02:15And the mission, guys, was to find the white lions of the Timbervati.
02:22So it was quite the mission, but it was successful.
02:26I will just let on. And what this video does do is just gives you a taste of what the
02:32members to the channel,
02:34the members who are subscribed to the channel have been experiencing for many, many, many years.
02:39And you can ask them. So this is just a taster of what the members get to experience on every
02:47three weeks.
02:47We release a member's video and they get to enjoy these kinds of things.
02:51So, without further ado, sit back, relax and enjoy the white lions of the Timbervati while I enjoy the wild
03:01lions of Denneking.
03:06Okay, so here's Opidam. Here's the water.
03:11I swear I'm having a hard boppetations right now.
03:14Let's see if you can spot some white lions, Cam.
03:16We're just going to see them first.
03:19Even after you brought up anticipation because of the months of the road, it's got slower.
03:23The problem with this is that we've been to other places where we've had such anticipation.
03:29There's been such a letdown.
03:31And now, here, there's the white lion.
03:37Check it out.
03:38Check it out.
04:05Oh, my heck, guys.
04:07A white lion in the wild.
04:12So what we'll do is we'll actually drive around and we'll park as close as you guys want.
04:18It's unbelievable, actually.
04:21I actually...
04:22There's the other one just to the right.
04:23Oh, you can see lying, yeah.
04:26So, I'm really lost for words.
04:29But I can't, like, figure out what's good to say that's going to do the scene justice because it's...
04:37Let me just actually show you.
04:39This is what we are looking at.
04:41So, it's this stunning dam.
04:44And then lying on the banks of the dam are the white lions.
04:49Two white lions.
04:50There's the boy.
04:51The male is sitting up in a sphinx position.
04:55And then the female is lying down to the right.
05:00And, guys, we're going to talk about this until the cows come home.
05:06Until the lions come down to drink.
05:08It might happen.
05:09It might happen.
05:10He was yawning.
05:11So, it's a good chance of that.
05:13But, well done.
05:16Well done.
05:16That's...
05:18I don't think he can take all the credit.
05:20No, no, no.
05:20Can you take the credit?
05:21No, no, no.
05:21Like half of it.
05:22You take half?
05:23I'll take 50%.
05:24He drove us, yeah.
05:26But, what is interesting is that these lions have now been hanging on the property for a good couple of
05:32weeks.
05:34And they seem to be split into two groups.
05:37The females, some with the older cubs, including the white male.
05:43Whose name is?
05:45No name brand.
05:46No name brand.
05:47They're not named.
05:48Part of the Birmingham pride.
05:49Ghost of the Timber Barty.
05:50So, just part of the Birmingham pride.
05:52And the other females have moved off to have some more cubs.
05:58And, in fact, the one female is the mother of the white male here that we're looking at.
06:03So, members, this is for you guys because it was unfinished business.
06:08We were so upset that we didn't see the white lions the last trip.
06:15And, thanks to Cameron, actually.
06:17Cameron's been persisting.
06:19And he phoned me a couple of weeks back.
06:22A month?
06:23A month or two?
06:23I don't know.
06:24I can't even remember.
06:25It's been such a blur.
06:26And he said, Kevin, how would you like to go and see the white lions for real this time?
06:30I said, whatever.
06:32It's not going to happen.
06:33It's going to be another wild goose chase.
06:36And, yeah, then it started getting more and more realistic.
06:40And then, literally, we had to drop everything and get our gear, make sure our cameraman was available, and get
06:49going.
06:49Because the lions have been on the property and we just weren't sure if they're going to move off.
06:53And the males that actually have come in to sire these cubs, and we'll get into the details of this
07:02as well.
07:02It's all a bit complex.
07:03They actually killed the previous litters that included three white lions.
07:08So, Rowan's got a bit of an issue with these males called the Ross males because they murdered his children.
07:16Yeah.
07:16So, you've still got a bit of a grudge, maybe a score to settle.
07:21I mean, they did well.
07:22They brought us two more, but, I mean, goodness.
07:25So, that's what I said.
07:27I said, listen, it's time to forgive and forget.
07:29They've given you two more white lions.
07:32And, clearly, that gene is prevalent in those males as well.
07:38So, it is beautiful.
07:40I don't think you can ask for a better setting.
07:42No, it's a pretty setting.
07:44Sure.
07:44You know, the...
07:46The one thing that we were terribly worried about was that we arrived here, and Rowan says to us,
07:54Oh, sorry, they've just moved into the bush, and it's impenetrable, and we cannot get there.
07:59But, we arrive, and we're just like, no, they're here.
08:02And they've been hanging around the dam.
08:03We're going like, I'm looking at Cameron thinking, this is too good to be true.
08:07Then, about, what, ten minutes out, or five, ten minutes out, there's a radio call,
08:13and, yeah, the confirmation that they were here.
08:17So, wow.
08:19Wow, wow, wow.
08:20It's truly emotional.
08:23I'm not even joking, guys.
08:24This is like, for me, the last time I saw white lions in the wild was back in 2010 or
08:30so.
08:30And I actually didn't appreciate it as much as I think I should have back then.
08:37I think as you get older, you start to appreciate these things a lot more.
08:44So, it gets better.
08:47We're actually going to drive literally right up to them.
08:50Wow.
08:52It gets better.
08:54Can it get better?
08:55It always gets better.
08:56See, promises.
08:58I like this guy.
08:59Yeah, sure.
09:02This is beautiful, man.
09:05So, what I was thinking is, let's reverse in there.
09:10Okay.
09:10And then, Kevin, they'll still be on your side.
09:12No worries.
09:14I don't mind sharing with Instacam.
09:20He did put this whole thing together.
09:22Cam, you did well.
09:23You did do well, Cam.
09:24How is that?
09:26It's worked out.
09:27It is just, I cannot tell you how this has worked out.
09:30In the last video, people said, like, they couldn't believe how my face lights up when I see these animals.
09:37And I can tell you now, this face.
09:40Look at his eyes, bro.
09:43This face says it all.
09:48Awesome.
09:52So, we're going to dissect this pride a bit.
09:57Over here, I'm going to ask Rowan, just give us a breakdown of who's who in the zoo.
10:05So, we've got the male and his brother.
10:08No, bizarrely, his brother's not here.
10:09Where is it?
10:10Who's this?
10:11So, this is the young male.
10:14I think it's his sister lying down just behind the bush.
10:18This one with her legs spread open.
10:20So, they are like two months younger than the white male.
10:24These two?
10:26Yeah.
10:26Okay, so, that boy there, and the one next to the white lioness with her legs spread eagle, are a
10:36brother and sister, and the mother is?
10:38The mother of those two would be the white dot female.
10:41It's a big, big, big lioness.
10:44She's got a little white dot on her rump, which is identifiable.
10:49She has not had a new litter yet.
10:52She's nowhere here.
10:53She's not here.
10:54So, she's with the other lionesses, with the five cubs and the two ross males.
10:59But, we consider her to be literally the lead lioness.
11:03I mean, you could see it also when they were younger.
11:05If that lioness stood up, they would know, okay, it's hunting time or it's time to move.
11:11Okay, so, she's the Makula.
11:16Then, we have two more beautiful brown ladies, tawny ladies.
11:22Those two are sisters.
11:23They're sisters.
11:24Those two there.
11:26Okay, and is that the other sister, the female?
11:30That's the white lioness's sister.
11:31Okay, and then?
11:33She's lying next to her.
11:35So, she doesn't have as many ticks on her as him.
11:38He seems to be quite riddled with them.
11:41Maybe that's a bit of a stress, sign of stress, because they do tend to pick up.
11:45They're getting pushed out.
11:47Yeah.
11:49So, whenever the condition decreases, I mean, then the tick strike is higher.
11:56So, it's not an exact science, but it is an indication that he's a little bit anxious.
12:03Especially being worked over by the, by the, by his father, basically.
12:07It's okay.
12:12So, Rowan was just telling us that, quite correctly, this is just a group of sub-adults,
12:20so they're not really that sure what to do.
12:24So, they're almost like sitting here like good kids, waiting to be told.
12:27And, on that score, do the mothers or the lead lionesses come and call them?
12:35Or, do they hear them and move off in that direction?
12:39What's your call?
12:41So, they'll try contact call.
12:43Contact call, contact call, contact call.
12:45And, I don't think, so the lead lioness is either the very old female,
12:49everything's between 17 and 18, and then the white dot female.
12:53And, interestingly enough, they've been spending a lot of time off the property.
12:57Because, it was almost like the lead lionesses were taking them to places that they believe are safe.
13:03Because, eventually, they know it's going to get to a stage where the ross males are now kicking them out.
13:07And, it's gotten to that stage.
13:09But, now they're almost leaderless.
13:12I mean, it's just, it's seven sub-adults.
13:14We're missing one, so there should be eight.
13:17But, I think eventually, if they're going to know where the ross males are calling from,
13:23and they'll try their luck again, they'll go back into that area,
13:25they'll get into a fight with the ross males, and they'll come back somewhere on Ingala.
13:30Because, this is where they grew up.
13:31This is what they're comfortable with.
13:33I don't think, necessarily, that the lead lionesses will call them back.
13:37I think, it's now gotten to that stage where it's almost saying, okay, you guys aren't going.
13:42But, even the lionesses?
13:45So, the lionesses will become part of the pride.
13:47I just think, because they all grew up together, these are their best friends.
13:50This is what they're looking for now, yeah.
13:54Yeah, so it should be quite interesting.
13:56Sure.
13:56I think, for the next couple of months, it's going to almost be like this.
14:01And, you're just going to find pockets of the Birmingham pride all over Ingala.
14:06Yeah.
14:06How far, do you know how far the lionesses are from here?
14:10As the crow flies, probably about eight kilometres.
14:13Okay, so it's not that far, but it's far, yeah.
14:18Just on the, on the fringes.
14:21But, it's interesting.
14:22I mean, they were with them this morning, and then they got chased off by the rastmouths.
14:28And, so they, these ones just kept going north and north and north and north,
14:31to Opidame, where they are now.
14:34Fantastic.
14:36Alright guys, so one of the questions that I'm sure is going to come up,
14:40and I'm not sure if I have touched on this before.
14:44I think I have, but forgive me if I haven't.
14:47But, one of the things I was just sitting here, thinking, there's the sub-adult,
14:51there's seven here, but there's actually eight sub-adults.
14:53And they're at this stage of their life, or at a stage of their life, where their
14:59fathers are working them.
15:00And, the objective is to really to get the males to push off and move off.
15:07Especially now that they're coming up to this age,
15:10where they're starting to become sexually mature.
15:13I'm just going to get Rowan to explain why this happens.
15:19Because, I think once you understand why it happens, then, you know, it'll all make
15:24like sense.
15:25It's not, it's not a nice thing that happens, but it makes sense.
15:29So, over to you Rowan.
15:33I mean, if you think about it, there's a very clever natural mechanism to stop inbreeding.
15:41Because, eventually, if these grow up, they'll become sexually mature probably in the next six
15:47months.
15:47So, by then, the rice males want to kick them out.
15:50Because, firstly, it's competition for the rice males.
15:53And, of course, male lions being very aggressive.
15:55They don't want that.
15:57But, secondly, it would cause inbreeding.
16:01And, so then, you wouldn't have such a perfect pride, such beautiful lions.
16:05And, eventually, these will go nomadic, and they'll find a different pride,
16:10where young males got kicked out.
16:11And, then, they'll take over that pride from other tectoral male lions.
16:15And, then, the gene just spreads.
16:17So, what Rowan is saying is, nature is in perfect balance.
16:21And, the only thing, really, that upsets the balance in nature, is us.
16:26So, as soon as we start to interfere, with good intentions, often.
16:31Often, the intentions are good.
16:33We don't understand the full mechanisms of our actions.
16:46All right, guys. So, the sun has set, and temperature is starting to drop.
16:51And, we have a few yawning cats.
16:56Begging to be good.
16:57Begging.
17:00But, they are really lazy today.
17:05So, we've had a few false alarms.
17:08We're hoping for them to go and have a drink, and then start moving.
17:13But, I'm not sure that's going to happen before it's dark.
17:20Okay, we've got some lions getting up.
17:21There we go.
17:23Good stretchers.
17:24Proper stretchers.
17:26Those are drinking stretchers.
17:29There we go.
17:30Go on.
17:31Go on.
17:33There we go.
17:33Come on.
17:34Come on.
17:38Yeah.
17:38There we go.
17:39Our first time, our big boy is getting up.
17:42Oh, can we go there?
17:44How are we going to do this?
17:48White lions on the bank of the...
17:50What's this little dam?
17:52Oppidam.
17:53Oppidam.
17:54There we go.
17:55Oh, look at that.
18:38What we're going to do, is we're going to try and hang with them.
18:40For as long as we can.
18:43They seem to be a little bit more active.
18:46Maybe two or so hours.
18:49They plan for a drink.
18:53And a bit of grooming going on.
19:02And what a beautiful scene, eh?
19:06Wednesday, wake up in Pretoria.
19:10And about midday in the middle of the bush.
19:13It's wonderful.
19:28Just hanging with a couple of white lions.
19:32Little Kruger Park.
19:41Look at that beautiful view.
19:45What a setting.
19:59It's incredible to see the...
20:02Yeah, but they...
20:04Look at how they stick out now.
20:10Your favorite little scratch tree, this.
20:24Look at that eyes, Sean.
20:27That's what we're talking about.
20:42How is that, eh?
20:43That's ghostly.
20:46I can see that now.
20:47You can see them.
20:48They're nice and clear.
20:50And you can see...
20:52Guys, you can see the way they...
20:54They totally stick out.
20:58So...
20:58You know, it is...
21:00Tonight is going to be a...
21:02Fullish moon.
21:03It's actually a waning moon.
21:04Full moon was two nights ago.
21:07But, eh...
21:08Yeah, even...
21:09Just as it's getting dark, you can just...
21:12The tawny lions blend in.
21:14Gone.
21:15Disappear.
21:16And then you see these white lions.
21:17You just see these, like, ghost figures...
21:20Popping through the bush.
21:35Fantastic.
21:36No, you don't even check, eh?
21:45Dude, guys...
21:46I'm being dead serious when I tell you...
21:49You don't realize how privileged we are.
21:54I mean, just the viewing of these lions, as well as us, obviously, being here.
21:58This is just a phenomenal event.
22:00It's a once-in-a-lifetime, actually.
22:02So, I hope you guys are enjoying this as much as we are.
22:07But, at least it's something.
22:09We're bringing you these white lions, as promised.
22:14That's the male.
22:15Oh, yeah, she comes.
22:17Sorry.
22:17You go.
22:17You go, girl.
22:18You go first.
22:19Yeah, ladies first.
22:20Any more?
22:21No?
22:22No?
22:22Good.
22:26There's one behind us.
22:30Yeah.
22:30To me, interesting.
22:31Check and be outside the Harari Lodge.
22:33Be wonderful.
22:37Okay, boy.
22:38You're good.
22:41You're a good-looking boy.
22:45There comes Mr. Whitey.
23:05Very beautiful.
23:13So, we're just saying, we're sitting here.
23:17Mr. Whitey is just over there in front of the car.
23:24And on the road, and I'm not sure you can see from the GoPro, but there's a blood-red moon
23:32rising,
23:33and the lions are all lying in the road, sleeping now, in the middle of the road,
23:39as they do, and they're super chilled.
23:43And so are we.
23:45We're super chilled.
23:51That's so perfectly lined up.
23:53Yeah, it is.
23:54The moon is above this exact road.
23:56The lions all pass up there.
23:59The stars have aligned.
24:01Yeah.
24:02No, absolutely.
24:03They are known as star lions, the white lions.
24:05So, yeah.
24:07Something in it.
24:33Between the two and different.
24:33Yeah.
24:34Yeah.
24:34No, I think we're not alone.
24:34Though the lions all affect all of us.
24:34Mm-hmm.
24:35Yeah.
24:36Yeah.
24:36Yeah.

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