I was born on a farm near Loskop Dam and this is my story. Late one afternoon the manager who looks after the farm was doing his daily rounds when he came face to face with my Mom  and I, Mom got a big fright, dropped me and ran off. The man decided to leave me where I was, to see if she would come back and fetch me, but she didn’t. (I think perhaps Mom was too afraid or maybe I had sister or brother that she needed to take care of). It was getting dark and he was afraid that I would be in grave danger, because there are Jackals, Caracals and even Leopard on the farm and they would surely eat me if they found me. So the kind gentleman thought it would be best to take me to safety. Once back at the house he called Lory Park,  and I had a home the very next day. But friends always remember, that wild animals like me are best left in the wild, so always make sure you have all done you can to keep a wild animal where it belongs and don’t be hasty to take it home, we make awful pets and we prefer to stay in the wild. 

We Honey Badgers enjoy eating worms, termites, scorpions, Porcupines, hares and even  my favourite, snake! If I get the venom of the snake into my system, what happens next is really cool. My heart beat slows down and I fall into a deep sleep. Not long after that, I jump up and I’m back to normal. Cool hey!!! 

Do you know why I’m called a Honey Badger? Well it’s not because I eat honey, its actually because I have a very special friendship with the black-throated honeyguide bird, which leads me to bees’ nests. Once the honeyguide has shown me the nest, I can break it open( because I am really tuff) and then we can enjoy the honey, bees and grubs together! 

They say I was about two three days old when I arrived at Lory Park, I received much love and attention. I was bottle fed at first and later on I got solids like canned dog food (which was kindly donated by Royal Canin), chicken, red meat, eggs and worms like meal worms and silk worms, but I did’nt enjoy the worms very much. Properly because I never had a Mommy to teach me how to catch and eat the things we are supposed to. Therefore I could also not be released back into the wild, I would not be able to find my own food and I would not know how to protect myself from dangerous predators. So we all decided that I would be safer at Lory Park.I am very energetic, so my friends at Lory Park take me for walks everyday. I am very friendly so when you come to visit me, you can scratch and play with me. I love having my tummy scratched!!! But remember, you first have to ask my friend if you can touch me. Always approach any animal with caution, and respect. 

When you see my home, you will find lots of holes in the ground because we badgers love digging. I also have toys, although I have broken most of them. So if you come and visit, you can bring some along for me if you like. But remember I play rough and have a very strong jaw, I can’t have plastic or anything that breaks easily. I could swallow it and get very ill, so keep to natural materials like raw hide or leather..

See you soon 

Beatrix the Badger  

xxx