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Introduction

The honey badger has a wide geographic distribution, and so would not seem to be an endangered species. However, the species is thinly spread across its range, so that nowhere are there dense populations. It should also be borne in mind that honey badgers give birth to only one or two young at a time, and that the young remain with their mothers for some 14 - 18 months. This slow reproductive rate leaves the honey badger in a vulnerable position should it be faced with persecution from humans.

There is concern about honey badger populations in the following countries:

• Niger. The honey badger is thought to be endangered in this country. [w178-01]
• Saudi Arabia. The badger is believed to be rare. [w178-01]
• South Africa. The species is listed as vulnerable in the Red Data book for this country. [w001, w178-01]

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Hunting and "pest control"

The honey badger has been heavily persecuted in some parts of southern and eastern Africa. This is largely because of the badger's habit of raiding bee hives, but also because of predation on poultry and other livestock. Thousands of honey badgers have been trapped and poisoned as a result. [w001]

Recently, Keith Begg carried out a survey of 50 beekeepers in South Africa [w178-01]. Amongst other things, this survey identified the level of badger killing carried out by the beekeepers. 50% of those who had experienced problems with honey badgers admitted that they had killed one or more; some had killed considerably more than others. Two-thirds of these beekeepers used steel-jawed traps to despatch badgers, others used cage traps, and a small number used poisons. Over 230 badgers had been killed by these beekeepers over the previous 15 years.

As part of his study, Keith Begg looked at trapping methods used by three beekeepers. He found that:

"Traps were seldom checked at intervals shorter than one week. As a result, trapped individuals were rarely discovered alive, having died from a combination of blood loss, bee venom, exhaustion and associated trauma."

Keith also found that badgers would chew off and eat limbs caught in traps.

The results of Keith Begg's survey suggest that the killing of honey badgers by beekeepers poses a substantial threat to the conservation of the species. The methods of killing also represent an unacceptable welfare problem in my view.

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Lack of information

The brevity of the list of countries in which there is concern over the honey badger population (see above) should not be seen as good news. The fact is that in most of the countries where this species occurs, no-one knows how many badgers there are, or whether they are increasing or decreasing, either at local or national levels. Honey badger numbers could therefore be at dangerously low levels in some parts of the species' range, without anyone being aware.

Colleen and Keith Begg's long-term field study of honey badgers in the Kalahari has done a great deal to increase our knowledge of many aspects of the honey badger's lifestyle. However, it may be that some of the Begg's findings do not apply to honey badgers elsewhere in their wide geographic range. Any efforts to conserve the honey badger in different environments could be hampered by the lack of information about the behaviour and ecology of this species in those environments.

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Picture credits

The honey badger photo used at the head of this Article is © Tim Davis / Photo Researchers, Inc. Used with the permission of the Northern Ohio Ferret Association. Credits for the photos used in the right-hand margin of this page for site navigation can be found on the Credits page.

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