Folklore has it that the honey badger (or ratel) is the fiercest creature in the bush and almost mythical stories abound about them disembowelling buffalo and routing lion prides. However a recent event on Limpopo-Lipadi witnessed by some of our shareholders may suggest a re-evaluation is necessary.

On Thursday the 24th of November, David Field and his family went on a game drive with Actor. Coming down from Mbusi en-route back to the lodge, Actor suddenly stopped when he heard a strange snarling sound nearby. He could not explain these strange noises and wanted to investigate, so instructing his guests to remain in the vehicle he disappeared into the bush to establish what was going on. Suddenly he came across an amazing sight and one which may never be seen again.

Thinking quickly Actor called the Field family over to witness what he was seeing. It was an extraordinary sighting of no less than six bat-eared foxes surrounding a very agitated honey badger! The foxes were circling it and taking turns to dart in and nip at the furious badger that was desperately trying to defend itself. Despite being outnumbered the badger was baring its teeth and snarling at the foxes until all of a sudden the foxes ran off in different directions leaving a very upset and confused badger to scuttle off into the undergrowth.

What an amazing sighting and a lucky day for the Field family and Actor. This is a sight that will stay fresh in their memories forever.

Thrilling and unique encounters like this are what make Africa a great place to watch wildlife but your chances of such events only increase when you are free of tight lodge schedules and can take the time to appreciate the less obvious occurences in the bush. This philosophy is part of what makes Limpopo-Lipadi special.