If you know anything about honey badgers, you’ll know that they are absolutely fearless.
These daring little creatures regularly go up against some of the most fearsome predators, including lions, wild dogs, hyenas and now, a leopard.
In this video, a mother honey badger doesn’t hesitate to take on a hungry leopard when it goes after her young.
Sahara Wulfsohn, a 28-year-old guide at Kirkmans Kamp in the Sabi Sands Game Reserve in the Greater Kruger National Park, filmed the unusual interaction nearby the lodge, where she watched the encounter from start to finish:
“The leopard stalked closer and closer till its nose was practically touching the rear end of the [baby] badger. The badger turned around, and I’m sure got the surprise of its life,” Wulfsohn told Latest Sightings. “The leopard launched its attack in a fury of claw and tooth with the small badger fighting bravely and valiantly but not really a match for the leopard.”
That’s when the mother honey badger charged in, sending the leopard running for safety.
“A leopard alone, even sleeping, is a rare and wonderful sighting, but this was beyond belief,” Wulfsohn. “I cannot imagine having another opportunity like this, as both honey badger and leopard are very rare to see. Just to see one or the other would have been a great sighting but this was incredible.”
The young honey badger likely suffered some injuries, but probably survived thanks to its mother’s intervention. Leopards and other predators rarely prey on honey badgers, as their nearly impenetrable skin and fierce temperament in the face of attack aren’t usually worth the trouble. But the leopard in the video was reportedly only two years old and still lacked experience. We’re betting she learned a lesson that day!
Video:
