GPS Radio Collars - The Springbok Male (XPL-35)

In August 2008 Xpl-35 and another male (Xpl-33) killed the Ugab male ("Miles" or Xpl-16) in the lower part of the Ugab River (see GPS collar–Ugab Male for full details). Xpl-35 was tracked down and darted in the Ugab River on 27 Aug 2008 and fitted with a GPS collar. It was assumed at that stage that the incident was part of a pride take-over and that the two new males would remain in the Ugab area. About two weeks after the darting, Xpl-35 disappeared and despite extensive searching could not be located. Almost six months later, on 6 Feb 2009, I found him in the Springbok River and downloaded the data from his GPS collar. The results were astonishing and totally unexpected. As much as the data shed new light on the movements of lions in the southern section of their range, it raised even more questions. Until we gain a better understanding of movements, land tenure structures and social interactions of lions in the south, I’ve decided to place Xpl-35 under the Springbok Pride.

May 2001 - Xpl-35 & siblings in Barab River	First darting - Dec 2005	July 2006 - Khoabis River

After killing Xpl-16 in the Ugab River, Xpl-35 was darted and fitted with a GPS collar on 27 Aug 2008.

Real-time animations
The movement patterns of the Xpl-35 are presented below using Flash animations to represent real-time events. Click on the PLAY button to start the animation. The timeline is constant at 2.5 seconds per day (24 hrs). When the red dot moves quickly across the screen, it accurately represents the speed at which the lion covered vast distances. A summary of the actual distances traveled per day is listed in a separate table.

Period: 10 - 24 June 2009. The scale of map has been changed to accommodate current movements. Updates to follow.

Earlier animations of Xpl-35