The oryx repeatedly used its horns to launch the honey badger into the air because it was unable to handle its own affairs.
While on a photo safari in Etosha National Park, Dirk Theron recorded this unusual and thrilling sighting.
“This particular spot in the Etosha National Park is one of my favorites, and I have often visited it on many of the Photography Tours that I host,” Dirk relates the incident to LatestSightings.com. Nothing much happened while we were seated at the waterhole.
We were genuinely talking about returning to camp because the gate was about to close. I saw something moving in the distance just as I was ready to turn the car around. I quickly recognized the animal’s movements and said, “Honey Badger!” with tremendous excitement.
This guy was going to put on a show of epic proportions. Everything occurred so quickly, and it was over in a flash. You can live in the wilderness for years and still not see anything like this. This is why I adore exploring Southern Africa.
These animals are aggressive and quick to attack anything that stands in their way. The behavior that was seen above is actually rather common, however this Badger narrowly escaped because the Oryx (Antelope) might have easily impaled it.
“This Badger would just charge straight at the Oryx, and the Oryx would headbutt the Badger into the ground. He simply stepped back, caught the Badger in the middle of its horns, and threw him into the air. When it originally happened, I though the Badger was dead, but it simply got up and kept charging. The Oryx eventually gave up and simply went away.
“I am unable to say, however it has been suggested that this animal may have had rabies. One of the reasons we say this is because, despite the fact that it seemed to be drinking, it wasn’t actually doing so. Rabies damages the muscles, among other things, making it impossible for the animal to swallow.
“On the second day, the same badger came racing by when we were at the same waterhole. picking a fight, but this time with a Black-backed Jackal. I found it hard to believe.
“Most people won’t believe what happened next since I don’t have any pictures to prove it. The Jackal was pursued by the Badger. A few more Jackals entered the fight in the distance, out of my camera’s range. The Badger eventually encountered seven Jackals! You could just make out the creatures lunging in and out at the Badger in the distance through the dust. At one point, he just swung a Jackal out of the road after grabbing him by the nose. It was absurd! This continued for a while before two Hyenas joined in. Sadly, I was unable to record any of this.
“I am overjoyed with the pictures I got of this once-in-a-lifetime occasion. One can spend years in the wild, as I’ve already stated, and never see something like this.