Will Sekoti be king?
Thalefang Charles | Friday January 15, 2021 16:01
Over the holidays I returned to Savuti just over two weeks after my previous visit. It was my second attempt in search of a young male lion famously called Sekoti, or Snip Tail as it he sometimes called, because of his missing tail end.
Sekoti is part of the Savuti Marsh Pride of lions that has surprised many lion enthusiasts. At five years old, this young male has now developed a mane and is turning out to be a big lion but remarkably he has not yet been banished by his savage father, Sekekama, the king of the marsh pride as is the norm in the lion kingdom. Sekekama, also known as Sedadama or Sexghaxghama (meaning lion mane in Seyei) was made famous by the National Geographic nature documentary series Savage Kingdom.
Together with his terrific brother called Torn Nose (because of the distinct scar on the nose), Sekekama has been reigning over the Marsh Pride for 10 years. It is almost unprecedented for a wild male lion to rule a territory for such a lengthy period especially in a rich wildlife area like Greater Okavango Delta. The average reign for a lion is said to be two years but the Marsh kings have done it for a decade. As at December 2020, they led a pride of 32 lions. The three male offsprings of the Sekekama who were chased away a few years back, are now leading the Northern Pride across the Savuti River.
But Sekoti was unfortunate because he does not a have a male brother that he could form a coalition with and venture out to find a pride they could take over. At five years old now, he should have been long chased out but instead still hangs around the pride. Sekoti’s father, Sekekama, was the same age when, together with his four other brothers, he arrived and took over the Marsh Pride in 2011.
Most guides working at Savuti report that Sekoti is actually close to Torn Nose and might not be chased away from the pride because the two dominant males are aging and need a young agile fighter in their rank to defend the pride. They say Sekoti is actually a fierce fighter like his father Sekekama. But there is no peaceful retirement in the lion kingdom. Just like the television series rightly depicted, this is a savage kingdom and Sekoti will not be expected to receive the reigns of the pride on a silver platter. So will the young male be able to topple his old savage father?
Guide at Belmond Savute Elephant Lodge, Robert Obonye believes Sekoti will not be ejected from the pride. Obonye has been guiding at Savuti for over 10 years and has witnessed the Sekekama’s epic takeover of Savuti in 2011. He shared the possible scenarios of how the Marsh leadership could turn out this year. Obonye said a young coalition of nomads could arrive anytime and violently take over the pride since the dominant males are no longer as strong as they used to be. Just recently young males lions were seen roaming around the Mababe area and if they could move up north they could possibly topple Sekekama and Torn Nose. But Obonye was also quick to add that toppling the two giants of Savuti would not be a walk in the park because Sekekama is notorious for fighting to the death in defence of his territory.
Obonye said he has also observed that the females are also being playing an important but dangerous role of kingmaker to safeguard their future offspring and to keep the pride intact by secretly mating with other males. The guide said the dominant female of the Marsh Pride called Motsumi for instance used to sneak to the north to mate with her own offspring, which are now big males so that if they could return and overthrow their father, which is another possible endgame for Sekekama, they would not kill the cubs.
Another possible scenario is Sekoti becoming the king. Guides say he has the character fit for a king and could actually fight his father and breakaway with part of the pride. But the females need the protection of the big males and they are unlikely to leave their trusted defenders of the pride with a young lone lion that is vulnerable to being toppled by any drifters.
Although during my recent visits to Savuti I failed to see Sekoti, I have heard reports and seen videos of his sightings in the area. The last sighting was just last week where he was found with other members of the main Marsh Pride but interestingly without the Sekekamas and Torn Nose. It appears like Sekoti could actually lead a breakaway pride from the current 32-strong Marsh Pride and become new king.