Answered by Hazel Lockey on Dec 8th, 2019

This is the legend about the rise and fall of the Mapogo Coalition.

A few years ago, a coalition of lions prowled around South Africa basically annihilating everything in its path.

That’s not an exaggeration.

They allegedly killed over 100 lions (I’m talking the whole lot—males, females, and cubs) in a mission to dominate the whole of Sabi Sands.

The Six Players

1. Makhulu (the leader)
2. Dreadlocks
3. Pretty Boy
4. Rasta
5. Kinky Tail
6. Mr T. (also nicknamed Satan, for reasons which will become clear)

Humble Beginnings

In their early days, the group was kicked out of the Sparta pride and forced to fend for themselves.

So the six became their own group and began to develop their hunting skills.

This got to the point where they were able to take down rhinos, hippos, and even giraffes, and buffalo.[1]

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The First Clash—Cannibals

In the clan’s early days of 2006, they encountered four dominant males upon entering the north of Sabi Sands, which formed part of the Ottawa pride.

The clan killed off one of them and the remaining three were fended off. They now had to deal with the rest of the Ottowas.

So they killed all of the eleven Ottowa cubs.

Mr T. was probably the most violent of the group (hence his nickname Satan). Some reports stated he actually began to eat the cubs.

With a hell of a lot of slaughtering and a bit of cannibalism along the way, it was safe to safe that the Mapogo lion coalition now dominated the entirety of Sabi Sands.

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The Second Clash—A Dysfunctional Family

Even though the clan had successfully gone on a huge killing spree, things weren’t going so well back home.

The leader, Makhulu, was constantly fighting with Mr. T. (Satan). In one clash, Makhulu managed to severely injure him.

So the defeated Mr T. went off to sulk and took his brother Kinky Tail with him.

The two broke off from the clan and went north.

The Third Clash—Kinky Tail’s Demise

The lonesome brothers encountered a new clan in June 2010—the Majingilanes. They managed to isolate its leader and killed him in a pretty gruesome way:

Mr. T bit down on the male’s neck, Kinky Tail ripped apart the male’s groin area inflicting tears and bleeding.[2]

They then broke his spine and left him to die.

But disaster struck.

Kinky Tail attacked four of the clan’s male lions. Bad idea. They pinned him down, wounded him, and feasted on him—alive.

Mr T. was too late. When he reached Kinky Tail, there were too many lions and he couldn’t fight them. Unable to save his brother, he had to flee.[3]

The End of Their Reign

Makhulu was last seen (alone) in January 2013, entering Kruger National Park, at the (old) age of 16.

The mighty Mapogo lions have certainly had their rise and fall, and after over a hundred deaths because of them, it’s safe to say that the war is, more or less, over.

Footnotes[1] The Notorious Mapogo Lions of the Sabi Sand Game Reserve – Secret Africa[2] Mapogo lion coalition – Wikipedia[3] The Mighty Mapogos

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