The Nkuhuma pride of lions have earned a reputation as being survivors. There are a number of variations for the pride's name, including Nukuhuma, Kahuma, Humas, Khumas.

History

The Djuma rangers and trackers named Nkuhuma, which means Brown Ivory in Shangaa, as the first sightings of them were in the vicinity of the Brown Ivory tree near Jordaan's Dam. In late 2006, the pride consisted of nine to 10 adult females, one sub adult male, and two dominant males. It is believed the two dominant males (later known as Blondie and Dozie) had just taken over the pride as there were no cubs. The sub adult male (seen only once) and possibly one of the lionesses disappeared. Cubs were not born until 2007 and there seemed to be an explosion of cubs being born in a short time span thus adding credence to the theory that the pride had recently been taken over by the two dominant males.

Some of the stories that have truly made them legends follow.

In 2007 the dominant male in this pride, Blondie was killed, after a fierce fight, by the Mapogo male coalition while mating with a lioness (from the Styx pride) in Chitwa Chitwa. Dozi, the surviving male managed to escape from this attack and moved to the north. The females scattered north also and took along many of the young cubs, relocating them away from the Mapogos in fear of further attacks.

Early in 2008 there was another encounter with the "warrior like" Mapogo Coalition, when two of the cubs were killed near Buffelshoek Dam and another, where an adult lioness was killed with reports of more cub deaths as well.

Subsequently the surviving Nkuhuma pride were predominantly based in the north-eastern parts of the Djuma Reserve property, roaming intermittently into Arathusa, Buffelshoek, Manyaleti and Kruger National Park.

They are still seen every so often with sightings during 2009 consisting mostly of four to five adult lionesses with six sub adults (three males, three females) and later only five sub adults (three males, two females).

Other sightings were of one or two lionesses separated from the core pride and on occasions, reported to be mating with various males in the region.