Tracking Rocky and Ruby: Lion Research Project
In 2025, Matetsi Private Game Reserve achieved a significant conservation milestone by successfully collaring its first lion and lioness, Rocky and Ruby, in collaboration with the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust. By tracking their movements across the expansive Kavango-Zambezi Trans-Frontier Conservation Area, researchers are gaining critical real-time data on predator ecology, territorial boundaries, and habitat use. Early findings have already revealed the impressive scale of their journeys—with Rocky traveling nearly 100km to neighboring forests and Ruby moving fluidly between the reserve and Zambezi National Park—underscoring the vital importance of maintaining connected and protected wildlife corridors.
December 2025 | Olivia Riley
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2025 brought an exciting conservation milestone for Matetsi Private Game Reserve: the successful collaring of a lion and lioness for the very first time. This project was undertaken in collaboration with the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust and marks a major step forward in our long-term commitment to understanding and protecting our predator populations.
The lion and lioness, known as Rocky and Ruby respectively, will play a central role in helping us better understand the behaviour, movements and social dynamics of lions and other predators across the Matetsi Private Game Reserve landscape and beyond.
Why collar a Lion?
Collaring Rocky and Ruby will allow our conservation team and the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust to gather and understand high-quality real-time data on lions’ home range size, territorial boundaries, movement corridors, interactions with neighbouring prides, habitat patterns across various ecosystems, and the broader predator ecology within the Matetsi landscape.
This level of insight aids our understanding of how lions use the landscape, how far they roam and the ecological pressures they navigate within the greater Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA) Trans-Frontier Conservation Area (TFCA).
Meet Rocky and Ruby
Rocky is a powerful young male lion who spends much of his time around the Westwood Vlei, an area known for high wildlife densities, abundant water supply and prime open hunting grounds. Since being collared, he has revealed a far wider range than we initially expected, sometimes walking as far as the Kasane Forest, which is 84km – 97km from Matetsi Private Game Reserve.
Throughout November alone, Rocky Travelled from Westwood Vlei to the most Southern point of Matetsi private Game Reserve, which is 136-000 acres (55-000 hectares) and even into neighbouring concessions. These early findings demonstrate just how expansive lion movements can be and reinforces the importance of connected and well-protected landscapes.
Rocky is also part of an interesting social dynamic as he frequently trails a mating pair, with the dominant male being his brother. This behaviour is typical of young male lions who are forming early coalitions, allowing them to strengthen social bonds and learn about the territorial and behavioural dynamics of the pride.
Ruby is from the well-known Famous Five pride and is equally fascinating. She is often seen in the company of her cubs and moves confidently across the landscape. She regularly travels between Matetsi Private Game Reserve and the neighbouring Zambezi National Park to the east, reminding us of the fluid nature of wildlife boundaries in this part of the world and how interconnected these protected areas truly are.
Rocky and Ruby’s Journey Continues
In the months ahead, Rocky and Ruby’s collars will continue to transmit valuable data in the, giving us a deeper understanding of lion ecology within Matetsi Private Game Reserve and the greater Victoria Falls region. Their unique movements and social interactions will contribute to a clearer picture of how lions navigate shifting territories, neighbouring concessions, and the larger KAZA TFCA landscape.