Lioness recieves a badgering

We had finished our sundowners and started a way back to the lodge. As we were crossing the Timbavati River bed, there in the beam of the spotlight, was an old lioness and her young male cub. She had something in her mouth, which at first I thought was a civet, but upon closer inspection saw that she had picked a fight she was unlikely to win. In her mouth was a honey badger, and it was still full of fight. Honey badgers’ reputation for ferocity when provoked is well founded and has been known to fight leopard as well as kill pythons up to 3 meters long. It was clear that the honey badger had the upper hand and eventually the lioness released the grip on her much smaller counterpart. As the badger scurried off into the bush the old lioness limped off into the night with blood flowing from cuts around her face as well as a large cut on her front leg. We followed the badger for a while and it too eventually started succumbing to the battle wounds. Its head covered in blood, it slowly lay down to rest. The next morning we returned to the scene but neither of the animals we to be seen. Only when we see the lioness again will we know the severity of the wounds, but it was clear that she was getting desperate for food and her options were running out.

Posted: Ngala by Ray Hume, Date: 25 September 2008