Watch the sighting here:
Game ranger Sahara Wulfsohn recorded this dramatic incident and sent his account to Latest Sightings. He filmed it while on a game drive in the Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve.
Successful stalk
Sahara said he joined a leopard sighting, little realising what would unfold. The spotted cat was moving slowly towards him, when he suddenly noticed it was stalking a baby honey badger.
The badger was initially unaware of the leopard but turned at the last moment to see it mere inches away.
Escape attempt
The little badger immediately attempted to run away but, with the leopard so close, it didn’t get far.
The leopard soon pounced on its prey, which despite its small size, aggressively defended itself.
Distressed
When honey badgers are threatened, they make a distinctive rattling sound, clearly heard in the video. At this point though, it would have been fair to assume these distress calls were in vain.
The bigger leopard soon clamped its prey in her fangs and claws. Surely it was just a matter of time before the badger succumbed.
Cavalry of one
Suddenly, the badgers’ mother arrived! Snarling savagely at her pups’ attacker, she barrelled straight into the pair.
In a blur of motion, the startled leopard sprang into the air, while the baby badger rolled to safety.
Counter-attack
Even though she’d succeeded in freeing her pup, the irate mother was determined to wreak vengeance on the leopard. Without hesitation, she located it and set off in hot pursuit.
Her tail raised in anger, she sprinted after the source of her fury. Of course, the leopard was much faster and easily outpaced her.
Satisfied, the mother turned to check on her injured baby. Meanwhile, the leopard stopped a short while later.
Reunited
Returning to her distressed baby, the mother badger sought to reassure it with a comforting paw.
Possibly wondering how something so certain had escaped her clutches, the leopard looked down on the pied pair curiously.
Whatever her thoughts may have been, she was in no mood to push her luck with the plucky badgers.
Get our Best Sightings as they Come in
Hopeful outcome
Afterwards, Sahara said, “The sighting ended with the mother badger dragging her large cub by the scruff of the neck into a convenient and nearby hole in a termite mound.
The young badger had probably broken its front right leg. Thankfully it will almost certainly survive thanks to the strength and protection of its mother.”
As he quipped, normally one would be happy to see either of these species, so seeing the two together was a special treat.
What went wrong?
Leopards are renowned for their power and hunting ability. In this case, Wulfsohn speculates that its failure to secure its meal came down to two things.
Firstly, at two years old, the leopard was quite inexperienced and might not have previously encountered a honey badger.
And, secondly, the never-say-die, hyper-aggressive nature of an angry honey badger. There are numerous accounts of honey badgers losing their tempers with much bigger adversaries.
Wulfsohn’s advice when on safari is, “For someone else who finds themselves at a sighting like this, it’s a good idea to start filming early. Get a nice and stable rest/mounting arrangement for the camera.”