When you find a Honey Badger, which has the most well known reputation in Africa as the most tenacious and stubborn animal and a porcupine in the same hole, there is bound to be a confrontation which will most likely not end up well for either of the two animals. Needless to say both animals came off second best, that is to say there was no winner that we could tell. What happened after each one scampered off in a different direction, we will never know but, each looked equally injured. So, the story goes that either the porcupine or honey badger went down the wrong hole and were met with a very agitated opponent, one of the most ferocious fights I have seen in the bush ensued with the honey badger walking away with a few quills for his troubles and the porcupine looking very bedraggled with a few gashes to show for his efforts. It just shows you that not only the big and hairy put on a good show. And, a long story short I shall not recommend anyone going head first into an inviting hole in the ground. Porcupines and honey badgers, as with many other mammals, will use abandoned holes normally made but aardvarks digging into the base of termite mounds of which the termites abandon their efforts and move on leaving a well built, insulated and safe home. Warthogs will also use these holes as their home.

Josh Beaton

2011/12/13