As a recapitulation of The Truth About Lions (2011), Dynasties: Lion (2018), Lion: The Rise and Fall of the Marsh Pride (2022) and,
The Big Cat People Podcast, Series II: Big Cat Diary Uncut
Episode 10 – "The Truth About Lions"
Date of Release: 14 July 2023
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE PODCAST EPISODE
Skilful hunters. Violent and terrifying man-eaters. Devoted parents... I am Jonathan Scott, and I've been captivated by lions all my life. And for the last thirty years, I've been watching, sketching, photographing and filming one amazing lion pride. By day, and under the cover of darkness. And, I've seen first hand what makes lions unique. Whilst other big cats live a solitary life, lions don't. They live in large family prides. The lion pride is the exception amongst the cat family. No other species lives this kind of social existence. Now, new research is revealing the reason for the lions' lifestyle. Assumptions and misconceptions are being overturned. I'm going to look again at this unique animal. I'm searching for the truth about lions.
Jonathan Scott came to the Mara in 1977, and has passionately devoted himself to watching and researching big cats. Dr Craig Packer headed up the Serengeti Lion Project from 1974. Despite their long association, their desired meeting occurred only once in the 1980s. The Truth About Lions turned out to be a horizon of the merging of these two great hearts.
Photo Credit: Angela Scott (above); BBC (below)
— JONATHAN SCOTT ventilated his concern at the commencement of the first episode of The Truth About Lions (2011), namely, "The Social Cats", which conspicuously concerns itself with the social pattern of living that the lions adhere to. Of its two renderings, filmed during 2009-2010, the first programme explicates a sequence of assumptions that were thought to be the probable causes of lions' social behavioural existence, starting from the hypothesis of hunting in a group, communal suckling and defence to the resolution of lion prides' priority over their territories. The other programme, namely, "The End of the Road?" features the current conservation status of lions in a worldwide context. To his meeting with Dr Craig Packer in 2010 while filming The Truth About Lions, the ace lion expert and the director of Serengeti Lion Project, Jonathan explained his preoccupation of watching the Marsh Pride – at least thirty individuals at a time, occasionally having the interactions with the adjacent pride members, while Dr Packer highlighted on the anecdotes and research of their team that incorporated a study of at least thirteen to twenty-eight prides during a certain period, designating the importance of the notion of habitat. Interestingly, in order to get acquainted with the habitat and territorial advancement, the researchers or observers need to know lions at their individual level.
Clawed (above) was about twelve-year-old in 2010 and gradually turning out to be weaker and haggard, having no hope for siring another generation; Romeo (below) by contrast, at his tenth year, was still very much on his guard
Photo Credit: Jackson Ole Looseyia
The Marsh Pride, whom Jonathan and Angela Scott have an affinity with, has been perhaps the most popular and, well-known pride of lions from the Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya for more than forty years, having reached a worldwide audience when featured on Ambush at Maasai Mara (1981) and Kali, the Lion (1992), on most captivating wildlife soap Big Cat Diary (1996 – 2008), in The Truth About Lions (2011) and, in Dynasties (released in 2018), a BBC Natural History product following five different species, the members of whom happened to be featured in their earlier projections. Many lion enthusiasts have closely followed the dynamics of this extraordinary pride ever since. Over the years, the Marsh Pride has produced some iconic lionesses, including the Three Graces, who were born in 2005, and served as the backbone of the pride for more than a decade. Without them, it is unlikely the pride would exist to this day as they battled through the tough times to ensure the future of the pride for the next generations. Here we present their story, which will eventually bridge up the upcoming predicament of the pride as featured in the two series of Big Cat Tales in the years to come.
Charm, the reluctant leader and youngest of the Three Graces
Photo Credit: BBC
Siena, the born pioneer and supreme protector
Photo Credit: BBC
Joy, the devoted mother of ultimate commitment
Photo Credit: Teresa O Dwyer
The Three Graces — Siena (referred to as Beauty by Simon King in Big Cat Live), Charm, and Joy were born into the pride from January to June 2005. They came from royal lineage having been sired by the famous pride male Notch and his coalition partner. Their mothers were also prominent lionesses in their own right and were known as Red or Mama Lugga (believed to be the mother of Siena and Joy), White Eye, Bibi (believed to be the mother of Charm) and Lispy, fondly called the Golden Four. This meant that the three young lionesses were also siblings and cousins of the five males, known as the Notch Gang, born in the same year — Notch II, Long, Ron, Caesar and Grimace who would go on to become members of the most successful coalition in the history of the Maasai Mara. Whilst it was the destiny of the young males to eventually leave and forge a new dynasty for themselves elsewhere, the females would remain with their mothers and aunts and ensure the long term future of the Marsh Pride. But for most of their life as cubs and sub-adults, the future of the Three Graces was hanging in the balance. In the middle of 2005, as we came to know from the deliberations on Big Cat Diary here on this archive, Notch's partner was killed by the three strong males from Paradise Plain. Notch was left as a lone pride male. It was only a matter of time before the next challenge arrived and in 2007, Notch was ousted from the pride by the three new males from Serena Pride called Clawed, Romeo and Pavarotti, an event which also saw the departure of Notch's five young male heirs, some of them could well be his own sons. At this point Siena, Joy and Charm were the sub-adults of two-year-old, and not ready to breed which posed a serious threat to their safety, forcing them to break away from the main pride and to form a separate satellite group within the territory.
White Eye (above), despite being the elderly matriarch, was the new mother in the pride, while Bibi (below), though had a single cub, was content to convey her in her elder cousin's custody and performed the best role of hers – babysitting
Photo Credit: A. Voss (above); Peter Rettig (below)
A new crèch of White Eye and Bibi was known to be formed up, comprising two male cubs and two females. Jicho and Lippy happened to be those two females, who eventually cut off from the pride when they were about a couple of years old and, formed a breakaway group just like the Three Graces had done before. Initially, Lippy was thought to be a cub of White Eye, but later on, it was confirmed that she happened to be Bibi's daughter, one of the last legacy bearers of Romeo and Clawed. By 2010, Romeo and Clawed's reign turned out to be quite shaky. While Romeo was still beholding his prime and, was active in siring new generations, Clawed was visibly distressed, and haggard. The nine cubs that were born in the pride in 2008, were nearly two-year-old adolescents and used to hang out with Lispy. However, to draw the other side of the story, having avoided the males until they reached sexual maturity, by 2009, it was now time for the Three Graces to seek them out in order to reproduce. Siena, who was the born leader of the three, and Joy, mated with the males – Romeo and Clawed, and produced their first litters of cubs later that year. Siena gave birth to two females, who were known named Mapema (often called Musiara) and Sila, and Joy gave birth to two males known as Hasani and Matajo. Charm, by contrast, happened to be more cautious and reserved – not willing to breed straight away, but as the secure environment of a pride was acquired in their stipulated space, and other pride mates having cubs, Charm was now comfortable to start raising offspring of her own and, gave birth to her first litter of three cubs in late 2010 – two males and a female known as Kini. By this point, the two pride males Romeo and Clawed were ageing and there was the sense they would soon be overthrown by a younger coalition. A prelude just happened to be experienced by Lispy and the group of adolescents, as they encountered two fit, strong and ambitious young males that trespassed. Though it was not a determined takeover, the invading males muscled in, and tried to intimidate the adolescent males so that they might have an access to the females. Romeo and Clawed were spending most of their time with the Three Graces and their cubs, cut off from the rest of the pride at the moment, causing the vulnerability and lack of much-needed protection for White Eye and Bibi's small cubs.
Above: Charm with the two new generations of cubs in 2015
Photo Credit: Tony Crocetta
Below: Red, Siena's son paying to the filming crew of Dynasties
Photo Credit: BBC
Meanwhile, the core Marsh Pride had already suffered a major blow when their matriarch Red was killed by Maasai herdsmen in late 2009. In late 2010, after the loss of Red, the Three Graces with their cubs were reintegrated with the pride. For the rest of the year, the growing pride enjoyed a period of peace and prosperity; and everything was going well for them. The Truth About Lions ended up predicting Clawed's inevitable fall and Romeo's vulnerability, and the probability of the invasion. The position of the territory was always precarious due to the practice of illegal night time cattle grazing which inevitably caused conflict between the lions and the Maasai herdsmen. This serious problem was highlighted once more in 2011 when Lispy was speared and killed. The death of Lispy meant that the original Golden Four was reduced to two surviving members- White Eye and Bibi, who were having their cubs at the moment. However, this was not the only disruptive event the Marsh Pride encountered in 2011. Subsequently, the predicted takeover occurred in 2011 with the arrival of the four ambitious and powerful males, known as the Four Musketeers – Scarface, Morani, Sikio and Hunter. The change of the guard of dominant males was welcomed by most of the lionesses, but not all of them. Joy had new cubs that would have been killed by the males. Therefore, in order to protect her offspring, she left the pride along with her now sub-adult sons Hasani and Matajo, who were not much welcomed by White Eye after the reintegration of the Three Graces. White Eye also had young cubs to protect and followed suit. Siena and Charm along with Bibi stayed with the pride but paid a heavy price as the two sub-adult sons of Charm were killed by the Musketeers, although she managed to protect Kini who survived the takeover. She, along with her slightly older cousins Mapema and Sila, backed up by two more females, Lippy and Jicho, would go on to reach adulthood and form a breakaway pride of their own within the territory.
Above: The Four Musketeers enjoying a hearty nap in the Marsh
Photo Credit: Moses Manduku
Below: Three of Four Musketeers – Hunter, Scarface and Morani in Paradise Plain
Photo Credit: John H. Gavin
The start of 2012 marked the beginning of a new era for the pride with the Musketeers as dominant males. At this point, Bibi was the grand dame, approaching her fourteenth year. So, Siena adopted the position of a leading lioness, with Charm content in a more supportive role. She never intended to be a leader. That year, both lionesses produced new litters of three cubs each, both consisting of one male and two females. Siena gave birth to Red, Yaya and Dada in July 2012, and Charm followed suit a few months later with Tatu, Kito and Rembo (would be referred to as Kali and Cloudy Eye, respectively, in Big Cat Tales in the years to come). Later on that year, Bibi also produced what turned out to be her final surviving offspring, the female known as Kabibi, and Mapema also gave birth to a daughter known as Chemi. Mapema remarkably happened to start breeding when she was under three-year-old. The breeding success of that year combined with the strong coalition of the Musketeers protecting the pride meant that the good times had returned. However, the lionesses who had split off were not so lucky. White Eye had vanished soon after, with some sources suggesting she could have been added to the list of casualties from spearing. Joy had moved to the Talek area of the Mara with her offspring but later, disappeared without a trace. The loss of Joy meant the Three Graces were now down to two but the sacrifice she made was not in vain, as Matajo would eventually become the dominant male of the Purungat Pride (and is most likely the father of Half Tail, who is now preoccupying with the position of pride male in the Marsh Pride on his own along with his coalition partner Logol).
Red (above) and Tatu (below) enjoyed a relatively longer staying period in the pride due to the absence of pride males
Photo Credit: BBC
In 2014, after a couple of years of relative peace and prosperity, the Musketeers abandoned the Marsh Pride to explore new territories elsewhere, and eventually took over Paradise Pride, the Marsh lion's southern neighbours. BBC's trendsetting feature on the Marsh Pride in Dynasties significantly captures these harsh moments of their lives. The departure of the Four Musketeers meant the pride was left without any dominant male. Therefore, the increased pressure and responsibility was on the shoulders of Siena and Charm particularly with the task of being mothers, providers and protectors. This was only made more difficult with new litters of cubs being born that year. Once again, Siena gave birth to one male and two females known as Topknot, Little Red and Spot. Meanwhile, Charm gave birth to a male known as Alan and a female known as Alanis. In mid of 2014, problems for the pride intensified when Siena was mortally gored by a buffalo during a hunt which left her with serious open wounds on her hindquarters. Vets responded quickly and treated Siena, who was then able to recover and rejoin the pride. Due to the severity of the injury, without this intervention, it was unlikely that Siena would have survived. Late 2014 also saw Mapema, Sila, Kini, Lippy and Jicho break off from the pride along with the sub-adult daughter of Lippy known as Akili. They were now living much like a splinter group, highlighting the issue of the optimum numbers of lionesses that a pride can behold.
Above: Two of the Breakaway Females – Lippy and Sila with cubs
Photo Credit: Peter Rettig
Below: The new bunch of adolescents in Marsh Pride
Photo Credit: BBC
2015 was another turbulent year for the Marsh Pride, which drastically changed the overall dynamics. The core pride was now made up of Siena and Charm, young adult males Red and Tatu and the five cubs — Little Red, Spot, Topknot, Alan and Alanis. Kito also remained and provided some much-needed help in terms of hunting and babysitting duties. Meanwhile, Bibi had formed a separate splinter group along with Yaya, Dada, Rembo, Kabibi and Chemi, the daughter of Mapema. Siena and Charm were both performing admirably to keep the pride functioning until Siena was injured again, this time as a result of a fight with rival lions. Her old wound reopened and she was forced to spend time on the sidelines whilst she recovered, with Charm stepping up and leading from the front in her absence, which she never intended. Reserved and calm, Charm was always content with her supportive role. In December 2015, the Marsh Pride happened to take down livestock from a nearby Maasai village. The inevitable was grimmer. The herdsmen retaliated by poisoning the carcass, and when the lions returned, eight of them were severely inflicted. However, it happened to be a well-intended poisoning incident at the end of the year which really amplified the struggles of the Marsh Pride. Bibi, Alan and Siena were victims of the horrific event which left the pride on the brink of collapse. The last trace of the Golden Four was now disappeared with the demise of Bibi, who was seventeen at that point, a senior by lion standard. With Siena now gone, the very survival of the pride was dependant on Charm.
Alan, Charm's son (born in 2014) heavily inflicted by the action of poisoning, did not have much strength to follow the rest; Charm had to move on with the other members to keep the pride well and alive
Photo Credit: BBC
The last remaining member of the Three Graces adopted Topknot, Little Red and Spot and, was now left with the monumental task of raising the cubs and providing for the pride with only the support of Kito. The new regime got off to the worst start possible when Alanis was lost to hyenas whilst fighting over a kill. However, change was on the horizon. Due to the continued absence of dominant males, Red and Tatu had overstayed with the pride, providing an extra muscle, but as they turned four-year-old, it was time for them to leave the pride. When they did finally depart in mid-2016, the younger Topknot followed and this coalition of three would eventually enjoy a brief period of dominance in the Lemek Conservancy. Dynasties records one spectacular altercation as Red was found caught amidst a huge clan of hyenas, finding him out in the jaws of utter risk. It was only the intervention of Tatu that saved his day, emphasising the fact of how formidable just a pair of male lions could be.
New Dawn in the Marsh: Karibu (above; also known as Askari) and Rafiki (below; also known as Mpole), the new pride males
Photo Credit: BBC
One morning in May 2016 in the Marsh. Some unfamiliar roars were heard by the residents. It belonged to the new males. A final flicker of hope for the shattered existence of the Marsh Pride. In late 2016, two new males are known as Rafiki and Karibu (would be referred to as Askari and Mpole, respectively, in Big Cat Tales) entered Marsh territory and filled the vacancy of dominant males. This also coincided with the return of Dada, Rembo and Kabibi to the main Marsh Pride, whereas Yaya and Chemi were unable to do so as they had young cubs to nurture. Charm had navigated through the most difficult of periods and could now turn her attention to rebuilding the pride with the males. Sophie Darlington sums up:
On a long project like this, there's a real luxury. And, the luxury is you get to know the individuals. They are different to each other; some sit and follow, others watch, some are into everything. Some are funny, some are really stupid. [...] You begin to care for, you can't help it. Charm, she is what a lion should be. She's a provider, she's a mother. She looks after cubs that aren't her own. She's the matriarch, she is the dame!
DOP Sophie Darlington and cameraman John Aitchison – the crux of the project of Dynasties
Photo Credit: BBC
The rendering attained its soul with the lively presentation of Sir David Attenborough
Photo Credit: BBC
With Rafiki coupling up with Charm, and Karibu having a courtship with Kito, the future of the Marsh Pride seemed bright. This prediction turned out to be even more luminous when Charm gave birth to two healthy cubs, whom she tucked at the base of a fallen tree, known as Dave's tree. The pride males seemed to have enjoyed the company of their young heirs. In fact, they happened to be their first-ever lineage of cubs. The lions of the Marsh Pride was again going to show their tenacity, action and resilience in the years to come.
Charm's integration with the new males eventually lit up the beacon of a new thread in the Marsh Pride in the form of Charm's new litter – the pride's next generation
Photo Credit: BBC
Credits
The Truth About Lions (2011)
Acknowledgement
Jean Hartley
Maasai Mara National Reserve
Annick Mitchell
Dr Anna Mosser
Narok County Council
Serengeti Lion Project
James Sindiyo
Colin Smit
Scientific Adviser
Dr Craig Packer
Photography
Mark MacEwen
Warren Samuels
Jo Charlesworth
Sound Recordist
Andy Hawley
Archive
Dr Jean Clottes
French Ministry of Culture
And Communication
Skyworks
Film Editor
Nick Carline
Online Editor
Franz Ketterer
Colourist
Tony Osborne
Dubbing Editor
David Yapp
Dubbing Mixer
Jonathan Jenkins
Original Music
David Poore
Graphic Design
Burrel Durrant Hifle
Production Team
Chris Brennan
Paul Kirui
Ross Samuels
Wilson Wemali
Script Editor
Phil Chapman
Production Co-ordinator
Jo Fletcher
Production Manager
Lynn Barry
Researcher
Sophie Lanfear
Executive Producer
Sara Ford
Producer
Colin Jackson
...
Dynasties (2018)
Acknowledgement
The Drivers and Staff of Governor's Camp, Maasai Mara
Patrick Musiza Isaiga
Moses Manduku
Harrison Nampaso
Mussa Lekwale
Patrick Beresford
Dominic Grammaticas
Ben Simpson
Narok County Government
Brian Heath
Justin Heath and Mara North Conservancy
Nigel Adams
Produced and Directed by
Simon Blakeney
Director of Photography
Sophie Darlington
Photography
John Aitchison
Specialist Camera
Mark MacEwen
Luke Barnett
David McKay
Field Guide
Sammy Munene
Dave Breed
Tash Breed
Film Editor
Dave Pearce
Colourist
Simon Bland
Dubbing Mixer
Graham Wild
Sound Editor
Kate Hopkins
Graphic Design
Mick Connaire
Production Team
Nick Smith-Baker
Adelean Coade
Diary Film Editors
Kirsty Emery
Robin Lewis
Music Composed by
Benji Morrison
Will Slater
Music Editor
Dan Brown
Music Performed by
The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
Researcher
Louis Rummer-Downing
Production Co-ordinator
Lisa Sibbald
Production Manager
Alison Brown-Humes
BBC Commissioning Editor
Tom McDonald
Series Producer
Rupert Barrington
Executive Producer
Michael Gunton
In Memory of
Jean Hartley and Tash Breed
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