The Maasai Mara game reserve has lost the renowned and majestic lion, affectionately known as Jesse, following a territorial dispute with three lions from the Enkuiyani Pride.
Jesse, who led the Offbeat Pride for over a decade, met his death on Monday night. He died aged 12, which is two years past the lifespan of male adult lions in the wild.
Jesse’s loyal companion and brother, Frank, passed away in 2016, leaving him to roam the vast wilderness as a solitary nomad. The two brothers led the Offbeat Pride that birthed over seven sons and several grandsons.
“We are saddened by the loss of the famous nomad male lion Jesse. The Mara North Conservancy rangers alerted us of a male lion, who was badly beaten and succumbed to his injuries some hours later, and our team quickly respond to the scene and identified him as Jesse,” said Mara Predator Conservation Programme (MPCP).
MPCP noted that Jesse was born in the Cheli Pride in Mara North Conservancy in 2011.
“Jesse and his brother Frank left the Cheli Pride in 2014, and we were the first to document the duo taking over the Offbeat Pride in May 2014,” read the MPCP statement.
“Their daughters are successfully continuing the Offbeat Pride. Jesse had to leave the Offbeat Pride when Frank went missing in 2016, forcing Jesse to begin a nomadic life, and he lived as a nomad until his death,” added MPCP.
Discover Africa added: “He became our all-time favourite for being a cool old man, hunting and fighting alone for his own survival. He had all the great characters of a male lion; strength, toughness and tenaciousness.”
