During 2010, a new male lion appeared in the area, and ousted the existing pride male, an old boy named Slit (from a nasty injury that left him with a slit in his nostril). The new male was named Shaka, after Shaka the Zulu Chief who usurped his predecessor and was famed for his brutality.
In fact, Shaka has been mating with the pride females almost continually since then, and hasn’t had much time to show off his brutality. Today, however, I saw him limping across a dambo before resting in the evening sun to show off his fast-growing mane. His limp could be the result of a conflict with another male, who challenged his right to the females in the pride. Or, of course, it might just have occurred while hunting over the very rough ground that is left behind as lagoons dry up.
