Honey Badger Deadly 60 Bites

On Deadly 60 I've had loads of incredible animal encounters.

Here's just one of my many favourites.

This is Deadly 60 Bites!

This time on Deadly 60 the crew and I are in South Africa

to find another contender for my list.

And she is a world record holder.

But what does she hold the world record for?

Well, it's for being the most fearless animal on the planet!

She covers so many miles foraging for food,

that I'll have to put my running shoes on just to keep up with her.

And my lazy crew are nowhere to be seen!

So I'm gonna have to film it myself.

I think we've lost him, Mark!

This is the ratel, better known as the honey badger.

She punches well above her weight!

As the name suggests, these badgers do love honey.

But those teeth and claws are razor sharp

and can cut through bone, flesh, even wire.

They even have some immunity to venomous snake bites

and they're scared of nothing.

Wrap this all up in an incredibly thick protective coat

and you have one seriously mean package.

This is Buster. She's a young female

and one of the only honey badgers in the world

that's habituated to people.

In the wild, these animals are on the move all day, foraging for food.

To keep Buster happy and in tip-top shape,

she's taken out for regular exercise

and we're lucky enough to join her and see her in action.

Off we go!

Buster may live in captivity, but she's still a wild animal.

I'll be careful - I don't want to be on the receiving end

of those teeth and claws!

Aghh!

Phew!

I'll tell you, when she snarls at you!

SNARLING

We've hidden a few treats for Buster to hunt down.

We'll follow her and see what an awesome animal she is.

The honey badger is an absolute whirling dervish!

She's continuously on the move

and can cover great distances in a day, always looking for food.

Nose to the ground, tracking every scent they can find.

-Good girl!

-VICIOUS SNARLING

Whoa!

I've never been so terrorised by something so small in my life!

Oh, crikey!

When she turns, it's a really frightening sight!

I know she's only small, but it puts the wind up you!

I think she's found something.

Once she gets in with those claws,

she's like an excavator, like a mini JCB!

They can get through pretty much anything.

Look at the dust going up in the air.

Go on!

Buster's long claws are perfectly designed

for digging through this hard, baked earth.

Wow!

Oh, she's got it.

SNARLING

I've worked with animals all my life and I know that sound.

It means, "Don't come any closer, I'm eating.

"If you do, I'll bite you!"

Honey badgers are in the weasel family,

which contains some of the meanest animals on earth.

Weasels, stoats, things like wolverines,

they're all notorious

for being capable of taking on other animals

that are way bigger than they are and having no fear whatsoever.

As a reward for having been so good,

I think we'll let her have some of her favourite food.

What's that, eh?

What's that?

Honey.

Whoa!

She may be only small,

but not even a lion would get between a honey badger and her food.

HE SQUEALS

There is nothing honey-sweet about the honey badger.

This animal has to go on the Deadly 60.