As Niklaas and Witwarm made way for new blood in Addo, they found a home to spend their golden years: the Mountain Zebra National Park.
Eastern Cape, South Africa (14 August 2025) – The mountains outside Nxuba (formerly Cradock) have a new sound, the deep, rolling call of two male lions exploring their new territory in Mountain Zebra National Park (MZNP).
Niklaas and Witwarm, as they’re known, arrived from Addo Elephant National Park on 11 July after two new lions were introduced at Addo. For a few weeks, they were kept in the park’s bomas, adjusting to the scent and feel of their new home before being released into the wider reserve on 29 July. The move is part of SANParks’ ongoing predator management programme, designed to keep ecosystems healthy and balanced by mimicking the way lions naturally disperse in the wild.
Their arrival also marks the end of an era. The park’s beloved resident male, Nomad, had lived far beyond the usual lifespan of a wild lion. Known to regular visitors for his quiet dominance and weathered mane, Nomad was humanely euthanised to spare him the inevitable and dangerous confrontations with the young coalition. It was a difficult but necessary decision to protect him from suffering.
The introduction of Niklaas and Witwarm is about more than replacing a loss, it’s about the future. By bringing in new bloodlines, MZNP helps ensure genetic diversity, healthy predator-prey relationships and the resilience of its lion population. This approach mirrors the natural patterns seen in unfenced, free-roaming ecosystems and is key to keeping populations sustainable.
With four lionesses already in the park, hopes are high that visitors may one day see cubs padding through the grasslands, their tiny paws following in the tracks of these two newcomers. For now, the thrill lies in spotting Niklaas and Witwarm as they patrol the koppies and valleys, laying claim to their kingdom.
It’s a new chapter for Mountain Zebra National Park, one that honours the memory of Nomad while looking ahead to the next roar echoing across the mountains.
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