Life is difficult for lions.
At some point in every young male lions' life, he will have to adopt a nomadic lifestyle. As he grows in age and strength, his father will eventually remove him from the pride.
The luckiest lions leave the pride with a few young males in tow. They grow together and eventually take over a pride of their own.
The unlucky ones - the ones who suffer losses to their kin or are on their own from the beginning - may never have a territory or pride of their own, and are destined to be solo nomads for the rest of their life.
At some point in every young male lions' life, he will have to adopt a nomadic lifestyle. As he grows in age and strength, his father will eventually remove him from the pride.
The luckiest lions leave the pride with a few young males in tow. They grow together and eventually take over a pride of their own.
The unlucky ones - the ones who suffer losses to their kin or are on their own from the beginning - may never have a territory or pride of their own, and are destined to be solo nomads for the rest of their life.
This series of photographs details the lives of some of the most memorable nomadic lions that I had the pleasure of seeing between 2016 and 2020. Male lion coalitions, sub-adult breakaway prides, solo male lions, and even prides of females without territories.