iI have been asked many times – usually by children – what my favorite animal is. I never gave it much thought and so probably muttered ‘tiger’ or ‘leopard’ or ‘elephant’ or ‘snow leopard’. But then suddenly I realized that there was a small animal that kicked the pants off these much larger animals and had to be. Number one. Sadly, I haven’t seen it in the wild – but what I’ve seen in the television documentaries was enough to seal the deal. It is a ratel or honey badger.
Ratels are members of the weasel clan but minus all the slitheries that have the cunning notoriety of common weasels. Set very low to the ground they are beautiful dudes (and dudettes – the sexes are the same although the dudes are bigger) about a foot long, dressed in beautiful black-and-white striped silvery-gray clothing, with charcoal underparts. With small but powerful snouts, they are armed with mouths of sharp teeth, their ears are small and flat on their heads. They are thick-skinned and wear loose clothes on their bodies – in all of which we will see the value of survival. They are common in Africa and are found in the Middle-East and India – although here, sadly, they are largely neglected. We know very little about how many of them live in India – they have been reported sporadically in scrub forests and grasslands in all parts of the country, and are considered very rare.
What drew me to them was their never-say-die, street fighter attitude. These guys are eager to take on all audiences. At one event, I watched in shock and awe as one of the clan obliviously took on a pride of increasingly sedated and appalled lions who clearly thought they were quickly Delicious food. no chance Frightening and writhing, the terrified little animal tossed and turned and leaped at the kings of the forest, leaving them in worry and confusion. What is this pipsqueak – and look at it! It will have a shaving brush at the tip of your tail in a second and all your pride with it! Of course, the lions pounced and clawed at the angry little animal – but it wears its coat so loosely on its body that it is easy for it to turn freely and launch a brutal counter-attack three times a day. In most cases, the lions beat hastily – and honorably – retreat as much as possible: there is no point in confronting this apparently insane, apoplectic maniac!
Worst of all, he often followed them saying, ‘Abbe kaha bhagata hai ake lado-main tanta hoon (Where are you running, come fight if you have strength, I will show you)’! Honey badgers scream like bear cubs when faced with hunting dogs! Dogs find it almost impossible to catch these animals – with their very tough and loose skin.
Interestingly, it has been posited that small cheetah cubs also wear silver-gray fur on their backs, like rattails, so they will be left alone by potential predators!
Not to be outdone by the inquisitive lion and leopard, the ratels are known to hunt small animals with equal ferocity – and are important in keeping their numbers under control – by driving rats, lizards and the like out of their dens. and balancing the ecosystem. They eat most everything and care about bees and their stings when they raid their hives for honey and bee larvae. Their powerful claws can easily tear apart termite mounds. Lamb, python, black mamba – they’re all on the menu. In India they are thought to dig up human corpses and consume them! However, it doesn’t seem to be true that the honeyguides lead the honey badger to the beehive and the animal kindly leaves a little wound for its benefactor! They love chickens and are considered a serious threat in chicken coops, where they kill more than necessary. They balance this non-vegetarian diet with berries, roots and bulbs.
Normally a loner (who would want to be friends with such a scented animal?), skulking and diving in the grasslands, the honey badger mates during the breeding season, which doubles the danger for everyone! Not much is known about it family life – Apart from that two cubs can be born. Their lifespan in the wild is unknown although captive animals have lived up to 24 years.
What’s amazing about this little beast is its sheer fighting, never-say-die spirit – always ready to take on all comers, no matter their size or weight or numbers. You don’t have to be like a gorilla to be able to scare others, which is what all those (and even nations) who are scared have to think about. Just go for Google and keep going until your enemy runs away or gets ripped!
Unfortunately, very little research has been done on these animals in India – although they probably have a collection of open-mouthed admirers. Considered of ‘least concern’ by the IUCN, they are rare in India and are accorded the highest level of protection (Schedule I) by the Wildlife (Conservation) Act. Poaching, poaching and habitat destruction, remain threats to these rarely encountered spitfires and while one should never get close to one, watching a ratel on the hunt or dealing with a mighty tiger will be an experience of a lifetime!
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