‘Right place, right time.’ That’s all any wildlife photographer can hope for – and such a stroke of luck happened to Dirk Theron, who captured two incredible sightings two days in a row.
While hosting a photography tour in Etosha National Park, Namibia in 2016, Theron encountered one grumpy honey badger. Here’s the backstory behind the series of images that have gone viral since, and are still doing the rounds.
‘We spent the last week of the tour in Etosha National Park. It was our first day in Etosha and it was an absolutely amazing welcome!,’ Theron said.
‘This particular waterhole is one of my favourites because of the angle of the afternoon sun, so we made our way there as soon as the afternoon light softened.
‘As it is with wildlife photography, you sometimes end up spending a lot of time waiting. We were sitting at the waterhole for a while, with not much going on and we were actually discussing going back to camp, as there was not much time left before the gate closed. I was about to turn the vehicle around when I noticed something moving in the distance. It did not take me long to recognise the way the animal moved and with great excitement I said the words “honey badger!”
‘You don’t often get to show people a honey badger in the wild and few people believe you when you try to explain how ferocious and dangerous these guys are. Well, this guy was about to do some show and tell for us. It all happened so quickly and was over in a few short minutes.
‘You can spend years in the wild and never see anything like this and that is what I love about travelling in Southern Africa. It’s like opening a lucky packet – you never know what’s going to happen next. Sometimes nothing happens and sometimes more happens than one can process, but what is always important, is that you enjoy just being there. Live in the moment and savour the beauty and mystery that is Africa.
‘When you try to explain honey badgers to visitors and they see a picture of one, they struggle to believe you. Who would believe it if you said that a lion would rather walk around a honey badger than confront it? Well, it’s true. In the Afrikaans language, a honey badger is called a ratel and there is an Afrikaans saying that goes “so taai soos n ratel“, which means “as tough as a honey badger”, and they are tough! These animals are short-tempered and don’t hesitate to take on anything that gets in their way, and the type of behaviour that was displayed here is really not uncommon.
‘This badger would simply charge at the gemsbok, which would basically headbutt the badger into the ground, take a step back, hook the badger between its horns and toss it high into the air. The first time it happened I thought the badger was dead, but it just shook itself off and charged again… and again. It just kept coming until the gemsbok gave up and ran away.
‘This badger was not defending territory or a kill. They just simply don’t tolerate other animals near them.’
Then, against all odds…
Theron continues his story: ‘The second day we were at the same waterhole and I simply don’t have words to describe my surprise and excitement when out of the bush, the same badger came running along. I could not believe it and when I first called it, my guests laughed, thinking I was joking. Yet there he was!
‘This time, however, there was no oryx around to pick a fight with, so it went for a jackal that dared to come too close. Again it all happened very quickly and I just managed a few snaps with my camera before the badger chased the jackal into the bush.
‘Now here comes the part most people will not believe and I do not have photographic evidence: the badger chased the jackal and, in the distance, where I could not reach with my camera, a few other jackals joined the fray. They eventually moved off into the distance until we could no longer see them. Unfortunately, our time was up in this section of the park, so we never saw that badger again.’
Theron said: ‘I am absolutely ecstatic with the images I captured of this once-in-a-lifetime event.
‘The camera I used was my trusty Nikon D3s. Although it is old, I simply love this camera! I only have one big lens that I use with this camera and that is a Tamron 150-600mm. It makes a great pair and is perfect for travelling when space and weight might be an issue.’
To see more of Theron’s work, follow him on Instagram: @dirktheron, Facebook: @dirktheronphotography or on his website www.dirktheronphotography.co.za
He can also be contacted via email on [email protected]
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