The Saba Bora

The Saba Bora are a coalition of young male lions in the eastern Serengeti, Tanzania, whose name in Swahili means “the best seven”, or “the magnificent seven”. They came to the world’s attention in March 2023, when they swept onto the Namiri Plains and ended the seven-year rule of the famous brothers Bob Junior (Snyggve) and Marley (Tryggve). On the morning of 11 March 2023 three of them attacked and killed Bob Junior, who was by then thin and ageing; Marley was killed in a separate attack around the same time. A Serengeti conservation officer told the BBC the killings appeared planned.

Most of the coalition were then around two to three years old. Tariq Said Sarico, the guide who had followed Bob Junior for years, began following and naming the new males. The biggest and most dominant, first nicknamed BK, for “Bob Junior Killer”, was renamed Scarnose or Chongo, “the one-eyed” in Swahili, after fans objected; a buffalo had later cost him the sight of one eye. His closest companion, Kiduku, is named for his mohawk-like crest of mane and was one of the three who killed Bob Junior. Ulimi Mbili, “two tongues”, has a forked tongue and keeps apart from his brothers.

The seven took over the Semetu Pride, Bob Junior’s own pride, whose lionesses include his daughters, and by early 2024 had also taken the Punda Kopjes pride. Two younger brothers joined them in 2024, briefly making nine, though one was badly hurt by the others. Later in 2024 three of the brothers split away as the Wasafi Boys and took the Maasai Kopjes and Boma Kopjes area. By 2025 five males of the Saba Bora were reported as the dominant males of the Semetu Pride.