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Sighting: Banoka - a new pride discovered in lion study
Location: Banoka Bush Camp, Khwai Community Concession, Botswana
Date: 23 December 2011
Observer: Simon Dures (lion researcher), Neil Midlane (Kafue Lion Project) and Emma Midlane.
Photographs: James Moodie

Last week, as part of our ongoing lion research in northern Botswana, we were out conducting a lion call-in survey close to Banoka Bush Camp in the eastern Okavango Delta. The Botswana Lion Research Team was working alongside the team from the Kafue Lion Project, Zambia, to ensure that all the results of our work could, if needed, be used in conjunction; we were accompanied by James, one of the managers from Banoka Bush Camp.

It was early in the morning after a night of light yet persistent rain and we were sitting in a small clearing surrounded by thick green mopane a few kilometres from camp. We were using a recorded distress-call of a buffalo calf played at full volume through a set of speakers mounted on the car. This is not a pleasant sound, and certainly not the nicest way to spend a beautiful early morning but it is an essential and effective process that is commonly used to determine the numbers and density of lions across large areas.

After just seven minutes, however, we were treated to the nervous approach of three very pale young lions. They could be seen, mostly hidden in the damp undergrowth, for just a minute before they dashed back into the bushes towards the call of another lion. We thought that would be our only sighting, but a few minutes later they reappeared accompanied by an older female. In total there was a lioness, two young males and a young female; all ghostly pale in comparison to the lions we normally see in the Okavango Delta.

The lions were nervous, clearly not accustomed to vehicles, and only approached to about 30 metres, grunting and moaning as they were teased by the sound of the buffalo calf that did not exist. We stopped our calls and the four lions faded into the mopane woodlands. I am sure as they become more accustomed to the presence of vehicles we will see more of this pale quartet.