Cleopatra

Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile, joined our pride in May 2015 after leaving her own pride in a neighbouring private nature reserve of approximately 40 000 acres.

Despite the vast territorial range and the impressive male lion who governed those territories, Cleopatra had spent the previous five years determinedly trying to join our pride, especially to be with Mandla. Impressively, she swam across the Nile (Tsau River), dug her way under an electric fence, and arrived on our southern borders, in full seduction mode, before being taken back to her resident pride again. Eventually, her granite Sphinx-like determination paid off, and she was granted her wish, after several years of holding one clear intention.

There was great joy when she finally joined our pride, although by this time Mandla had moved to the neighbouring territories of Shidolo, and his sons and grown up into impressive royal leaders in their own right. Although Cleopatra was never able to meet-up with Mandla physically, he remained her great love and she went into what can only be described as an extended state of mourning after his death, King of Kings – and King of her heart.

Cleopatra was a magnificent matriarchal Queen, sometimes choosing to retreat into solitude and sometimes choosing the company of her new hard-won pride, which included her magnificent female counterpart, Tswalu, and the regal brothers, Zukhara and Matsieng.

Our beloved Queen Cleopatra was laid to rest in a royal burial at sunrise on the eve of the anniversary of the Lightning Strike (January 2022). Her body was lovingly laid to rest at the lake of the Megalithic Stone Monument to Nature, crowned and bedecked with flowers, incense, and candles, and enrobed with the mantel of Red and Black.