The Nyati Males

The Nyati Males, or Nyati Six, are a coalition of male lions in the Mara Triangle, the western part of Kenya’s Masai Mara. Nyati is Swahili for buffalo, and they were named for their skill at hunting it; they have also been called the Taliban males. They were sons of the male Ol Donyo Paek and emerged from a takeover of the Sausage Tree Pride; after their father’s death the six young males moved north from the border region into the central Triangle.

In mid-2022 they pushed deep into the territory of the ageing Inselberg males. In the clash that followed, one male died on each side: the Nyati Six became five, and the Inselbergs lost Slit Lip. As the Inselbergs moved east, the Nyati males took over their former ground and the Egyptian Pride. Angama’s guides have watched them pull down buffalo in mud pools and mate with lionesses of several prides.

By 2024 guides described them as one of the most powerful coalitions in the Mara, often seen in groups of four. In early 2026, when the Topi Boys crossed the Mara River into the Triangle, the Nyati males pushed north into the vacated ground, mating with the Angama lioness and approaching the River Pride. The individual males have not been named in published sources.