How To Spot a Honey Badger

Don’t let its size and medium stature fool you: the honey badger has been given several vicious titles, such as being crowned the most fearless animal existing by the Guinness Book of Records, named the Meanest Animal Alive by the Anglia Television; Iraqi urban legends have even coined the term ‘Killer Badger’. It lives on virtually anything that it comes across, even animals two or three times its size and, of course, its favorite food: honey. So how can you spot one without getting attacked or eaten? That’s simple.

• Honey badgers are typically nocturnal, or awake at nighttime. Scientists believe this is mainly part of the badger’s food-hunting needs. These mammals are omnivorous so they thrive on insects, fruits, venomous snakes or even pythons, and young crocodiles. For campers or those who are on a safari, the odds of you finding or spotting a honey badger are greater at night. This is due to the badger’s resourcefulness in finding its meal. Just be sure to leave some leftovers at your dining area and then sit quietly a good distance away for a chance to see one.
• Since the honey badger got its name from honey, it would be logical to spot one at a nearby beehive. However, doing so would require you to approach at a close - and dangerous - distance to both the predator and the prey, so this option should be taken with extreme care. A good trick is to follow a honeyguide if you manage to spot one. A honeyguide is a bird that badgers usually follow to hunt their next beehive meals. The honeyguide may be seen as a partnership in crime, with the honeyguide leading the way and the honey badger doing the dirty job of tearing open the hive. They then share their bounty of honey.
• If you know of a place that is usually a sanctuary for snakes, then you may just spot a honey badger there since snakes of all kinds are no match to these ferocious mammals. The honey badger is an effective snake killer, as it can endure the effects of venom including paralysis. There is one interesting documentary made by the National Geographic where a badger named ‘Kleinman’ went continued to fight with a poisonous snake during a battle that lasted for hours. Kleinman, despite being paralyzed by the snake’s venom, managed to run away with a full stomach.
• The natural habitat for the honey badger spans the grasslands or savannahs, where it can easily track its prey. Since most honey badgers live in Africa - and some parts of south Asian countries like Iraq, Iran, and India - spotting different, interesting kinds of honey badgers would mean a plane ticket to these countries.
• If you really can’t wait to see this dangerous but cute mammal, or if you don’t want to risk a limb on an adventure, all you have to do is go to a nearby zoo and bring your camera for some pictures.

The honey badger in action is a classic example of a predator skillfully hunting its next meal. Its ways are not so different from ours - so it’s only right to give these animals a fair share of respect and a fair treatment.