In this epic battle, 3 leopards gang up on 1 honey badger but soon regret their decision when it chooses to fight back! This incredible moment unravelled at &Beyond Kirkman’s Kamp in the Greater Kruger. How will it end?
One of the grittiest creatures in the animal kingdom, honey badgers don’t take kindly to being provoked, even when they are outsized and outnumbered. These carnivores have been known to take on animals well over 3 times their size and will stop at nothing to conquer their enemies.
Field guide Dan Fiser and business consultant Paola Murguia were fortunate to witness this astonishing sighting and shared the story with LatestSightings.com:
“We were parked near a mother leopard and her two cubs, who were sitting on the Sand River bank. We followed them as they moved upstream. The two cubs walked into the reeds and we heard a loud commotion which the mother reacted to. Then all three appeared, wrestling with a honey badger.”
“The honey badger was fighting back, instead of trying to run away, actually turning the tables at times.”
“Our initial reaction was that they had caught something, but we didn’t know what. We were shocked when we realized it was a honey badger because they are well known for being fearless and tough animals. The three leopards took turns trying to take the honey badger down – an unfair battle one would think. The sighting ended with the honey badger trotting off as though nothing had happened. This was a once-in-a-lifetime sighting.”
“An unbelievable battle between two naturally shy and tough animals. Never underestimate the underdog.”
Although it is unclear why the three leopards took on the badger, they soon realized the badger was not going to give in without putting up a fight. We are utterly privileged to witness sightings like these in nature!
Despite having an extremely “modest” body, the honey badger is the only animal that can make the most fearsome predators in the wild such as tigers, leopards, lions, wolves… to be humbled. because of his stubbornness, indifference to his life.
Behind the calmness in the dense forests there are always fierce struggles for survival.
A fight for survival does not simply last for a few minutes or hours, but it is the enduring struggle of all species from the time they are born to the time they take their last breath.
Only animals strong enough, tough, ruthless can stand in this endless war.
Usually, wars between wild animals often result in favor of large, aggressive, experienced hunting species such as tigers, leopards, lions, hunting dogs, etc. However, there are still animals that go “against the current” with the laws of nature, ready to do unimaginable things such as destroying beehives, humiliating lions, eating poisonous snakes and still be unharmed. With his exploits, the honey badger is known by many as the most careless animal in the wild.
The honey badger is a carnivore related to the weasel. But unlike their brothers with distinctive scents, they are known for their careless, reckless and somewhat aggressive nature. Because of its high adaptability to many different types of habitats, honey badgers are widely distributed around the world.
Adult badger has a height of 28 cm at the shoulder, a body length of 50-77 cm, a tail length of 30 cm. Males weigh from 9-16 kg, while females are smaller, weighing 5-10 kg.
The honey badger has a very thick and firm skin. Its very effective self-defense weapon is its long claws and extremely strong sharp teeth.
Moreover, with a fierce and reckless nature, the honey badger dares to confront the most fearsome predators. Typically confronting a leopard as in the clip below.
The clip was recorded by Sahara Wulfsohn, a tour guide at Sabi Sands animal sanctuary, South Africa.
Witnessing the encounter from start to finish, Wulfsohn recounted the incident in detail. Accordingly, the leopard has been tracking the nectar badger since before, until it noticed that there was no one left, it began to move closer to take action.
When the distance is close enough, the leopard brings its prey to the ground and then begins to use its teeth and claws to scratch and attack. Badger cubs, of course, refused to lie down and die, but bravely fought and resisted. However, the difference in qualifications between the two sides is too great, perhaps the badger baby will have to die if it is not for the timely appearance of the mother badger.
With the speed of light, the angry mother badger rushed straight at the leopard making it unable to react. Sudden ambush, the leopard was stunned, had to leave its prey to curl its tail and run away.
Usually, leopards or other experienced predators rarely choose honey badger as a target to attack because this animal has too thick skin and its aggressive temperament. The leopard in the clip is probably too young to find this “difficult” animal to cause trouble.