A Pride Of Lions Visit Sabie Park & What A Stir They Cause!!

On the last day of our winter holiday of 1999 we were in the Kruger Park. On that day the Kruger came to Sabiepark! “Welcome in the wilderness,” David Zeller cheerfully greeted Tokkie and myself, when we came upon a procession of cars on our way back home.

The first lion-viewers naturally refused to move

The scene in Wildevy Avenue, a little way from the two-track driveway to our house, reminded us of a lion sighting near Skukuza, Satara or Lower Sabie. Cars, cars and even more cars. People hanging out of their car windows, armed with cameras and binoculars. Some trying to find better angles from the roofs of their vehicles.

In Sabiepark lion visits always cause a stir. What else could one expect? This time was not different. The exciting news spread like a bushfire among the inhabitants: a pride of lion is in our midst. A male, two females, one still a teenager, and two cubs had infiltrated from the Kruger. Within the first few hours they had killed a young giraffe.

The first lion-viewers refused to budge, as also could be expected. Where they stood, they stood. Frustrated late-comers stretched their necks, impatiently revved their car engines, and moved forward and backward in their endeavours to obtain a greater share of the excitement. Wildevy Avenue was a narrow meandering dirt road – it was widened only five years later, in 2004 – and this complicated matters considerably. Notices were hastily prepared and given to all incoming motorists: “Beware, don’t go for walks, there are lion in the park.” This bulletin only served to invite more curious onlookers.

Lady luck smiled on Dup and Minnie du Plessis at Loeriebos (erf 268 in Wildevy Avenue). They had ringside seats. “Dup in the lion’s den,” could well be the caption for their play. When the cars started piling up at 15:00, Dup, partly due to ignorance, went closer to find the cause of the commotion. Without realising it, he almost collided with a lion. Soon afterwards, he and Minnie saw from their front stoep a sudden collection of tails and claws – dangerously close. A little later Minnie saw a lioness and two cubs. The little ones moaned like kittens. The lioness aimed a blow at Dup. He quickly retired.

That evening he sat in the dark at his fireplace. He thought of the events of the day, and waited for Minnie, who was still busy in the kitchen. Afterwards, he wanted to light a fire. While he waited, he heard a loud gobbling sound. There they were – all five lions in a row, drinking from his waterhole. “You could see their eyes,” he enjoyed telling later. “Large and small ones – too beautiful.”

The waterhole at Loeriebos is a round cement pond only about 10 metres from Dup’s fireplace. It has a fairly high wall. The cubs could just about reach the top with their front feet. They could, however, not reach the water. The more they struggled, the more the youngsters moaned. He did not know what a tremendous thirst lions had, Dup admitted. For at least 10 minutes at a time, they would lower their heads and drink without interruption. Then they would tackle the carcass again – with just as much enthusiasm. Then drink again. At 23:00 the Du Plessis’s went to bed, the sound of crunching bones and satisfied groans in their ears.

On the next morning, a Sunday, Zeller and Albert Sibuyi, chief security officer, knocked on my door. “Come along, let us follow the lion tracks.” At that time I was editor of the Sabiepark newsletter, and such a massive invasion by King Lion and his retinue was major news. Zeller and Sibuyi walked silently. They had weaponry. I followed with tense nerves, my “gun”, a Canon camera, ready in my right hand. The lions, however, had disappeared. The only photos I could take were of two lion hunters, from behind mostly, of Zeller holding a partly devoured giraffe leg, and of a horde of vultures descending in ever greater numbers on the remains of the carcass.

Later on Tokkie and I visited Dup at Loeriebos to hear his story first-hand. At that stage, very little was left of the young giraffe. The surrounding trees teemed with hungry, gluttonous vultures. While we were standing around, two lionesses suddenly ran past us on their way to the river. We saw them simultaneously. “There they are,” we shouted as one. Dup, quite bravely, went closer and cut a piece of skin from the neck of the prey to show his children. I preferred to remained at a safe distance.

Later that afternoon Dup phoned on his cell phone: “Come quickly.” Tokkie and I jumped into our car, but unexpected guests, who’ve heard rumours about the lions’ whereabouts, must have alerted the pride as they turned into the Loeriebos driveway. This untimely intervention chased the lions away before we arrived. We drank our coffee and waited, but they did not come back. The prey had at any rate by now been dragged deeper into the undergrowth. After finishing that, the satisfied intruders went for a lazy stroll through the park. Two or three were noticed on the lawn in front of the office, near the spot where a previous group of epicures had met their match in the ‘80s. A lucky Sabieparker, Rob Munton (erf 99, off Maroela Avenue), drove after them. In the space of an hour he saw them at least six times, from the safety of his car.

Monday morning was travel time for the Van Deventers. Melkbos was far, far away. I went to say goodbye to Dup and Minnie. Dup showed me fresh tracks on his driveway. The lions had come back during the night, but again vanished into the bush. Permanently gone? No, definitely not.

ON THE TRACKS of the lion. David Zeller and Albert Sibuyi, security chief, in search of five lions which entered Sabiepark in July 1999.

Five weeks later, on Friday, 13 August, it was the turn of Tony and the late Noenoe Zimolong (erf 353, off Wildevy Avenue) to experience lion pleasure – and a big fright too! Their lapa close to the picnic spot (the house was later bought by Eddie and Marie Haumann) overlooks an open stretch of river bank. The vegetation is mostly sparse and small. At their campfire the Zimolongs and a few friends, drinks in hand, were enjoying a sundowner display by lions coming and going at a safe distance. The fully-grown lioness stared at the group of Sabieparkers with unconcealed animosity, and fully-extended jaws. Then came the shaggy male. He sat down like a dog on its haunches and also glared at the audience. Two boisterous cubs clambered and played on and over their mother.

Gary and Michelle Karlson of Thulani (erf 191 in Maroela Avenue) had only met the Zimolongs that afternoon in the road. They were immediately invited to “come and have a look, there are lions”. Such is the comradeship among Sabieparkers. They share and share alike. The Karlsons did not need encouragement. They quickly made a u-turn, and joined in the fun. Shortly after 18:00 they said goodbye, to go and light their own fire. But a loud, continuous roar made them stop, petrified. A sudden rush by the lions in their direction, made them retreat, hastily and white with fright. Fortunately the danger was about 15 metres away, with a fence in between.

Tony, a member of the Sabiepark management committee at that stage, placed a steak or two on the fire for his remaining guests. They would eat outside. He swung his torch towards the river. Suddenly the assembled group saw only yellow eyes. Five large cats were huddled together against the fence. Belligerently. The 15 metres had suddenly shrunk to barely two metres. The four diners made a snap decision. They grabbed their meat and fled inside to the safety of the Zimolong’s home.

HANDA ZELLER with two cubs. One died after being bitten by her mother. The other one’s back was broken.

That same night the lions were drugged and taken to a pan about 20 kilometres inside the Kruger – a first effort in a long, complicated operation to remove them from Sabiepark. Try again! On the Tuesday the pride was back. Without any injury, but roaringly hungry after the long trek. Bait was placed again, this time laced with hundreds of sleeping tablets. Good night, King Lion! Only on the Wednesday evening they took the bait. They were allowed to gorge for an hour. After this, they were again drugged, one by one.

Before sunrise, they were loaded on a trailer and taken to the bomas at Skukuza, still in dreamland. Blood tests were done. All the adult lions had TB. The only option was to put them out of their misery. Before the final curtain on this episode, a chilling nature drama took place. During the first night in the boma, the frustrated lioness devoured one of her cubs and broke the back of the other one. A wild lion can go berserk in captivity!

The plus factor of this five-week siege by the lions – the longest in the history of Sabiepark – was, in the words of Handa Zeller, the fact that the park during that time “held the element of lion surprise”. The negative was that the lions had consumed game worth more or less R30 000, more than at any previous or later incursion by the species panthero leo.

Lions have a healthy appetite. Nobody can accuse them of being selective killers.

A LOAD OF LION, captured and drugged in Sabiepark, ready for the return journey to Skukuza.