We’ve been following the young white lioness with the tear in her face from the Birmingham Pride for the last few weeks. The Birmingham Pride gets seen on a few different concessions and it’s not uncommon for different concessions to name the same lions different names. Therefore, we wanted to give her a name that the Latest Sightings community can use when tinging her and we hope you all love the name. After getting over 2,600 name suggestions sent in, we asked Jaun from Ngala Ways Safaris, who tinged the first sighting of the injury on the 15th of January to choose the most meaningful one out of those suggestions. We are extremely happy with his choice, and so, we would like to share it with you all. Nakinya Nakinya is a feminine Maasai name meaning ‘the torn one.’ Originating from the Maasai people of Kenya and Tanzania. It stems from the verb akiny, meaning “tearing” (as in pulling off the bark of a tree or removing part of the skin), which leaves a scar. This is supported by the background of Kenya’s first president, Jomo Kenyatta, originally named by the Maasai ‘enkinyata’ which is a piece of skin obtained through the akiny process. Typically, you won’t find many women named Nakinya. But it’s more common to hear this name given to livestock, as naming them after scars isn’t considered problematic. On the other hand, quite a few Maasai men carry the name Ole Sakinya, which is the masculine form. Men often view scars as symbols of battles fought and won (particularly in the past), so being named after a scar is seen as a point of pride. Write up provided by journalist Parmeris Ole Kiminta (who also suggested the name)
New white lion cub spotted in Kruger! Last week, 5km from Orpen gate, a tiny white lion cub was seen for the very first time. Ashton Thomas was the very first person to share the sighting with us and might have been one of the first to spot it! Ashton thinks it may be a female, but it was very hard to tell, and he is not 100 percent sure. There have been no further sightings, but, as they come in, we will let you know! Orpen Gate area is famous for its white lions, so, it’s amazing to see a new white lion join the bloodline.