0:00:14 > 0:00:18It's the toughest vehicle in the South African Army.
0:00:18 > 0:00:2420 tonnes of thick-skinned, all-terrain, fighting machine.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30And it's named after a badger.
0:00:32 > 0:00:37Meet the ratel, better known as the honey badger.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46A honey badger is a fighter. He goes and he goes and he goes.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56If I had to use one word it would be tenacious.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58HONEY BADGER SNARLS
0:00:58 > 0:01:02Heavy claws, strong jaws, big teeth.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07For such a small animal, they really do pack a punch.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17There's nothing... nothing that he's scared of.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22According to the Guinness Book of Records,
0:01:22 > 0:01:25it is the world's most fearless animal.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28They do have big attitudes.
0:01:29 > 0:01:35But does the Honey Badger really deserve its ferocious tag?
0:01:35 > 0:01:39Or is the hype bigger than its bite?
0:01:50 > 0:01:55In South Africa's Limpopo Province, zoologist Low de Vries
0:01:55 > 0:02:00is on the trail of a pint-sized animal with a massive reputation.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06I've been fascinated by these guys from a very young age.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09From eight, nine years old.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12In Afrikaans we say, 'So taai as a ratel',
0:02:12 > 0:02:15which means, 'As tough as a honey badger'.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17That's what I love. I love that attitude.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23Low is keen to get beyond the legend
0:02:23 > 0:02:27and find out what the honey badger is really like.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38For a start, it isn't really a badger at all.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42Built for strength and stamina rather than speed,
0:02:42 > 0:02:45it's more like a souped-up weasel.
0:02:51 > 0:02:52Though reasonably common,
0:02:52 > 0:02:57honey badgers are mostly nocturnal and rarely seen.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02They're still relatively unknown to science.
0:03:05 > 0:03:11Even their special ability to sleep off snake bites and wake up unharmed
0:03:11 > 0:03:13remains a mystery.
0:03:14 > 0:03:20Up to a quarter of their diet is made up of venomous snakes.
0:03:21 > 0:03:26And we don't know why the young stay with their mothers for so long -
0:03:26 > 0:03:30nearly twice as long as true badgers.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36But it's tales of the honey badger's sheer audacity
0:03:36 > 0:03:39that have become the stuff of legend.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43There's all these myths about them. How many of those are true?
0:03:46 > 0:03:50Following a tip off, Low and his field assistant Becky are heading
0:03:50 > 0:03:54to a safari lodge where these normally elusive animals are
0:03:54 > 0:03:56reported to be turning up every night.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15Tucked away on the outskirts of Kruger National Park,
0:04:15 > 0:04:17the lodge could be the perfect place
0:04:17 > 0:04:20for Low to set up a new research project.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28Honey badgers are scavengers as well as hunters.
0:04:29 > 0:04:34At the safari lodge, they've learnt that there's a regular supply
0:04:34 > 0:04:36of leftovers at the rubbish dump.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43According to maintenance manager Alfred,
0:04:43 > 0:04:45the dump has become a magnet
0:04:45 > 0:04:48not just for badgers but for other animals too.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55- Oh, with hyena?- Yah. - Have you seen them fight?- Yah.
0:04:55 > 0:04:56What happens when they fight?
0:05:13 > 0:05:16So they go underneath the legs and bite them from behind.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26It might not be pretty, but the rubbish dump offers Low
0:05:26 > 0:05:28the perfect opportunity
0:05:28 > 0:05:31to see where honey badgers rank in the pecking order.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33This is where you dump the rubbish?
0:05:36 > 0:05:39Can a badger, as Alfred claims,
0:05:39 > 0:05:43actually see off an animal five times its own weight?
0:05:46 > 0:05:48From which direction do they normally come?
0:05:55 > 0:05:57What time do they normally come in?
0:06:00 > 0:06:02OK.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06Thank you very much, Alfred. Appreciate it.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10Low will be back at dusk to see for himself
0:06:10 > 0:06:13if the honey badger really is top dog.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20Though badgers are tolerated at the lodge,
0:06:20 > 0:06:24they can be a persistent problem for local farmers.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29I'm trying to make a living out of free-range pigs.
0:06:30 > 0:06:35Around me is the big five but my problem is not the big five.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37The real problem is the honey badger.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42That's the big problem.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44As well as raiding his pig food,
0:06:44 > 0:06:47badgers have attacked and even killed his dogs.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52If you push him in a corner, then he will go for you.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54He'll go for your balls
0:06:54 > 0:06:58and he'll get all your balls out, one time, as quick as that.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01A week ago I catch two on one night.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03They do a lot of damage.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07Some farmers shoot the badgers.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11This one's lucky to be getting a second chance.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16Hello, hello.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21The farmer has called in Brian Jones,
0:07:21 > 0:07:25a wildlife conservationist with a soft spot for honey badgers.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28It's wonderful that you're prepared to save animals like this.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30They're after the food of my pigs.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32OK, open it.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38Brian looks after all kinds of unwanted animals
0:07:38 > 0:07:42but despite its rough reputation, the honey badger is his favourite.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48He's rescued around 50 so far.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52OK, Brian, thank you very much. Bai danke. Go well.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59The badger will be set free later,
0:07:59 > 0:08:02as far from the farmer as possible.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04They do get hurt in their traps.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07If we see it's quite serious, we will treat them accordingly.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11When that's healed, we let them go again.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15Hopefully they don't go back to that man
0:08:15 > 0:08:18because he might decide to start killing them.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Brian is heading back to base,
0:08:21 > 0:08:25to the place that's been his home for the last 22 years.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29Set in its own 500 hectare game reserve,
0:08:29 > 0:08:34Moholoholo is a privately run animal rehabilitation centre.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39As well as providing a temporary refuge for injured wildlife,
0:08:39 > 0:08:42it also houses a few longer-term residents
0:08:42 > 0:08:45including a honey badger, Stoffel,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48and his girlfriend Hammy.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54I've had in my house hippo, rhino,
0:08:54 > 0:08:56brown hyena, spotted hyena,
0:08:56 > 0:08:59leopards, cheetah, lion - I've had the whole lot,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02but the honey badger, there's nothing near the honey badger.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08The first badger I took in was Stoffel.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12He caused chaos in the house. He damaged everything.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18I mean, he'd come and break through the window,
0:09:18 > 0:09:21go to the kitchen...
0:09:22 > 0:09:25..knock the dog biscuits over, go to the fridge, lie on his back,
0:09:25 > 0:09:27kick the fridge open,
0:09:27 > 0:09:30go and smell what's on the menu today...
0:09:34 > 0:09:38..get the frozen bacon, sit on his back and eat it.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43And you don't dare stop him. You just let him do what he wants.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50Stoffel! Stoffel!
0:09:51 > 0:09:54Come on, let's go!
0:09:58 > 0:09:59I don't believe it.
0:10:05 > 0:10:11Stoffel came here 20 years ago a someone else's unwanted pet
0:10:11 > 0:10:15and is too tame ever to be released into the wild.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20Though happy at first to look after him, Brian soon
0:10:20 > 0:10:24discovered that the badger was a menace to his other animals.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32It doesn't matter how big or small, he attacked it.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35Nothing was safe from him.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42He grabbed the rhino from underneath and wouldn't let go.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45- And the rhino... - MIMICS RHINO IN DISTRESS
0:10:50 > 0:10:54He grabbed one of my tawny eagles. He killed the servals.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58He wiped out 30, 40 guinea pigs, one shot.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03He was extremely destructive.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09When he flies into you it's not a joke.
0:11:13 > 0:11:14He rips you to pieces.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18Stoffel was becoming the pet from hell.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22Stoffel, come on, my boy. Stoffel.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25Alas, for Brian, this was just the start of a long
0:11:25 > 0:11:28and challenging relationship.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43Honey badgers, as their name suggests, are fond of honey.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49But the mayhem they cause trying to get it makes them
0:11:49 > 0:11:51a scourge to beekeepers.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58I've spoken to some of the beekeepers in this area
0:11:58 > 0:12:01who've lost up to 60 hives in one night.
0:12:02 > 0:12:07If you consider that a beehive costs about 1,000 rand
0:12:07 > 0:12:12and takes about two or three years to develop into a production colony,
0:12:12 > 0:12:15you can see what the loss is - it's huge.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27On the other hand, it takes guts to face an angry swarm.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32Badgers that get it wrong have been stung to death.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39It's the protein-rich grubs they're after
0:12:39 > 0:12:41as much as the honey.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52I've seen some hives where the badger's actually got in
0:12:52 > 0:12:56from the side and chewed through this 22mm wood.
0:12:58 > 0:13:0022 mill is about that thick.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06Solid pine. You know, it's ripped apart.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10Decimation. Badger won't stop at anything.
0:13:15 > 0:13:20Sadly, badgers that raid too often risk being poisoned.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26Guy Stubbs wants to protect honey badgers
0:13:26 > 0:13:29from the wrath of his fellow beekeepers
0:13:29 > 0:13:33by developing a cheap but effective badger-proof hive.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37He's come to the rehab centre
0:13:37 > 0:13:41where he's keen to try out his approach on some real badgers.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46Phase one is all about watching and learning.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48Jan, please release the badgers.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52Enter test badger Stoffel...
0:13:53 > 0:13:56..and his apprentice Hammy.
0:13:57 > 0:14:02Badgers are adept at scaling trees in the wild
0:14:02 > 0:14:05but Guy thinks they'll struggle to reach the hive
0:14:05 > 0:14:07if there's no bark to grip onto.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15OK, you can actually see he's just using one claw at a time
0:14:15 > 0:14:19and he's hooking his claw into any little crevice and hole
0:14:19 > 0:14:22that he can find, and then he pulls his whole body up.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24So, it's showing incredible strength.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28BADGER PANTS
0:14:43 > 0:14:45Can you hear that panting?
0:14:45 > 0:14:48It sounds like it's a lot of effort for him.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51Through sheer determination,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54Stoffel eventually gets within range.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01Look at the way he's grabbing on to that plastic...
0:15:03 > 0:15:07..and is actually ripping pieces of it off.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21The sweet taste of success.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24With all his footholds figured out,
0:15:24 > 0:15:29Stoffel is soon back up to finish the job.
0:15:37 > 0:15:42A few painful stings is a small price to pay.
0:15:44 > 0:15:50One honey badger was found alive with well over 300 stings.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57So by just having it off the ground in a tree,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00isn't a guarantee for protecting your hive.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09Armed with valuable first-hand observations,
0:16:09 > 0:16:12Guy is now ready to go and design
0:16:12 > 0:16:15his badger-saving badger-proof hive.
0:16:29 > 0:16:34At a game lodge near Kruger National Park, zoologist Low de Vries
0:16:34 > 0:16:37has a ring-side seat at the rubbish dump.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42He's hoping to see for himself if the honey badger lives up to
0:16:42 > 0:16:44its ferocious billing.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54There's no mistaking a honey badger.
0:16:54 > 0:16:59It wears a bold black and-white coat and moves with a confident trot.
0:17:19 > 0:17:24Like a skunk, its vibrant markings send a warning.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28"Mess with me at your peril."
0:17:42 > 0:17:48The two badgers certainly don't appear put off by Low's presence.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36Pairs of badgers were once thought to be couples,
0:18:36 > 0:18:41but, in fact, badger pups stick with their mums for up to two years
0:18:41 > 0:18:45and it can be hard to tell one from the other.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08The long childhood suggests the pup has a lot to learn
0:19:08 > 0:19:10before it can survive on its own.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16This one is busy mastering the art of bin-raiding.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19LOW LAUGHS
0:19:26 > 0:19:30The greedy badgers won't have the place to themselves for long
0:19:30 > 0:19:32and they seem to know it.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47A porcupine is the next to pitch up.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53Along with the jackals, they hang around
0:19:53 > 0:19:56and wait for the badger's discarded scraps.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07BADGER SNARLS
0:20:07 > 0:20:12Venture too close and it becomes clear who's boss.
0:20:17 > 0:20:22Even the civet, a larger carnivore, knows to steer clear.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27BADGER GROWLS
0:20:27 > 0:20:33For Low, this is a rare opportunity to watch wild honey badgers -
0:20:33 > 0:20:36an opportunity he's waited a long time for.
0:20:36 > 0:20:41I'm noticing the incredible number of sounds these guys are making.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47Chattering and growling at each other.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57Chirping away, kind of like a contact call.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07At times, they almost sound like jackals.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18They're not bothered by my presence.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23I've been obsessed with these animals for so many years.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32Honey badgers normally forage alone
0:21:32 > 0:21:36but news of the dump appears to have spread.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42BADGERS GRUNT
0:21:52 > 0:21:57With fresh arrivals, there are soon more badgers than bins.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03It's a recipe for some rowdy squabbling.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05BADGER GROWLS
0:22:41 > 0:22:45Over at the lodge, another gang of gatecrashers is piling in.
0:22:46 > 0:22:51Remote cameras reveal them making a beeline for the kitchen.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00The masters of mayhem have arrived.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58Back at the bins, things have taken a serious turn.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02With jaws nearly twice as strong as a lion's,
0:24:02 > 0:24:07a spotted hyena could crush a badger with a single bite.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32BADGER SNARLS
0:24:34 > 0:24:35It's backing off.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50The cause of the hyena's hasty retreat
0:24:50 > 0:24:53soon becomes suffocatingly apparent.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56Oh, my word.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58That's horrible.
0:24:59 > 0:25:04One of the badgers, it seems, has deployed a concealed weapon.
0:25:06 > 0:25:07Oh, that's bad.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17Fluid ejected from the badger's anal pouch
0:25:17 > 0:25:20can be smelt from 40m away.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22Uh, that's truly awful.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26This actually makes your eyes water.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29I've no idea how they live with themselves.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42At the rehab centre,
0:25:42 > 0:25:47Brian Jones was soon learning from his pet badger Stoffel
0:25:47 > 0:25:51that the animal's reputation for bravery was no myth.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59One day, the staff call me, "Brian, quickly!
0:25:59 > 0:26:02"Stoffel's got in with the big lions!"
0:26:02 > 0:26:05He dug underneath the electric fence...
0:26:05 > 0:26:08and went in to the lions to fight them, on purpose.
0:26:09 > 0:26:10So my staff took meat
0:26:10 > 0:26:13and just chucked it over to get the lions' attraction on the meat.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16Meantime the honey badger wouldn't let them settle down.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19He was going for their private parts at the back.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24And he was chasing this big male lion around the camp - it was hilarious.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27Here he is after this big lion! And eventually the lion
0:26:27 > 0:26:30would turn around and grab him, but because the skin's loose
0:26:30 > 0:26:33he'd swing in his skin, the honey badger, and bite the lion on the face.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35So in the end the lion's bleeding down the face,
0:26:35 > 0:26:37the honey badger walking big style - and he won the first round.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40Ha! They were scared of him.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48In one incident in the wild,
0:26:48 > 0:26:53honey badgers are reported to have chased seven lions from their kill.
0:27:03 > 0:27:08For Stoffel, though - fighting alone - round two was a disaster.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13He did it again. But this time he didn't get off so well.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16They pulverised him a bit.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23He was in hospital two-and-a-half months.
0:27:26 > 0:27:32Though Stoffel survived, honey badgers are not invincible.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35Despite their almost heroic courage,
0:27:35 > 0:27:39they are sometimes mauled to death by big cats.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48After his close encounter with badgers at the dump,
0:27:48 > 0:27:51Low is keen to get deeper into their world.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54The whole question of why pups hang around
0:27:54 > 0:27:57with their mothers for so long is intriguing him.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07'Local tracker Enoch says he's spotted a mother and baby
0:28:07 > 0:28:11'using an old termite mound as a den, less than a mile from camp.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15'It could be the breakthrough that Low needs.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20'Badgers can move over 20 miles a night.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23'But if there's one badger that's likely to stay put,
0:28:23 > 0:28:27'it's a nursing mother near a regular source of food.'
0:28:27 > 0:28:30So is this the hole where you saw the honey badger with a pup?
0:28:30 > 0:28:32Yeah. This is the one.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35They were milling around on top of this termite mound.
0:28:38 > 0:28:39You can see these tracks here.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42It shows that they're still using it.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52'Low decides to put the burrow under surveillance.
0:28:52 > 0:28:56'With a bit of luck, the mother and pup will give him a unique window
0:28:56 > 0:29:01'into the normally hidden world of badger parenting.'
0:29:07 > 0:29:09After Stoffel's severe mauling by the lions,
0:29:09 > 0:29:13Brian knew that he HAD to get his badger under control.
0:29:16 > 0:29:18His solution was a brand-new pen,
0:29:18 > 0:29:21and the introduction of Hammy,
0:29:21 > 0:29:23to help him work off steam.
0:29:26 > 0:29:30Far from settling down, though, the canoodling couple soon proved
0:29:30 > 0:29:35that honey badgers are not just fearless, but astonishingly clever.
0:29:37 > 0:29:42We started off with a mesh-type fence, but it didn't work.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44Stoffel soon devised a plan for opening up the gate,
0:29:44 > 0:29:48which has got two bolts. He would get the female to go up.
0:29:49 > 0:29:54She would go up, open the first gate, he'd hold the gate
0:29:54 > 0:29:57and say, "Woman, get up! I'm pulling open, you open up."
0:30:03 > 0:30:05She goes up to the top, pulls the second one out...
0:30:10 > 0:30:12..and then he pulls it open,
0:30:12 > 0:30:15he waits for her to get down, and they escape together.
0:30:17 > 0:30:19The escape was no fluke.
0:30:20 > 0:30:25Considering their small size, honey badgers have remarkably big brains.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29Their intelligence is just beyond anything.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32Whatever Brian did to keep him IN,
0:30:32 > 0:30:35Stoffel was hell bent on getting OUT.
0:30:40 > 0:30:44In the end - and at great expense - Brian had no choice
0:30:44 > 0:30:47but to build his own "Badger Alcatraz".
0:30:52 > 0:30:56I said, "Stoffel, the days of your escape are over, buddy."
0:31:00 > 0:31:02That night they called me.
0:31:02 > 0:31:04"Brian, Stoffel's OUT!" I said, "It's impossible!"
0:31:04 > 0:31:06But we had trees in here.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09And he'd climb up the trees and lean over onto the wall and he was out.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12So we cut all the branches out of the trees in here,
0:31:12 > 0:31:14and left the trees in the middle.
0:31:17 > 0:31:19Then he dug up the rocks and he'd roll them
0:31:19 > 0:31:24with his back feet to the wall, until he'd piled them up high enough.
0:31:25 > 0:31:28And then he'd get out - so we took all the rocks away.
0:31:31 > 0:31:33This was like a game for Stoffel.
0:31:33 > 0:31:35Every time I devised some plan, it was like a game for him
0:31:35 > 0:31:38to work out how could he get over this.
0:31:44 > 0:31:46SMASH!
0:31:46 > 0:31:49One o'clock in the morning, my wife me, "Brian! Brian!
0:31:49 > 0:31:50"someone's in the house."
0:31:50 > 0:31:52She said, "I heard a window break."
0:31:52 > 0:31:53So we freeze.
0:31:56 > 0:31:57Oh, my! Expecting burglars!
0:31:57 > 0:32:01Stoffel had my bedroom door, trying to get through my bedroom door!
0:32:02 > 0:32:06He made himself a mud ball, and he pats it to make it bigger!
0:32:06 > 0:32:08and he rolled it, and he got up like that.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15People have said, "Did you train it?" I said, "Train it?! Not at all!"
0:32:15 > 0:32:18He'd outwit us each time, with HIS schemes.
0:32:27 > 0:32:29Stoffel!
0:32:32 > 0:32:37I remember one day, keeper left a rake in Stoffel's enclosure.
0:32:37 > 0:32:40He scratched himself, lies on his side. Now he's thinking.
0:32:40 > 0:32:41Computer's working.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49Take the rake, put it on his back,
0:32:49 > 0:32:50put it against the wall...
0:32:53 > 0:32:56..climb out, and off he goes.
0:32:56 > 0:32:57Stoffel!
0:32:57 > 0:33:00I mean, you won't believe these stories.
0:33:03 > 0:33:07You think it's a hoax. It's not a hoax. That is Stoffel.
0:33:15 > 0:33:20On the outskirts of Kruger National Park, Low has a badger's den
0:33:20 > 0:33:21under surveillance.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27The photos from the first night, however,
0:33:27 > 0:33:29reveal an unexpected visitor.
0:33:31 > 0:33:33Leopard on the camera trap, at 20 to six.
0:33:33 > 0:33:3720 to six - that's ten minutes after I placed the trap out.
0:33:37 > 0:33:39It's not a good sign.
0:33:39 > 0:33:44Leopards are one of the very few animals known to kill honey badgers.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47Unfortunately there are no honey badgers on these shots,
0:33:47 > 0:33:50which is...kind of strange.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52I saw the tracks there with my own eyes.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55Enoch said those tracks were relatively fresh.
0:33:55 > 0:33:56Either this was never a den
0:33:56 > 0:33:58and the honey badgers just kind of came through,
0:33:58 > 0:34:00or the mother felt threatened
0:34:00 > 0:34:03by the presence of the leopard there and decided to move the pup.
0:34:03 > 0:34:07Perhaps the average WILD honey badger is smart enough
0:34:07 > 0:34:09to know its limits.
0:34:10 > 0:34:14The mother's vanishing act leaves Low back at square one.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19Over at the rehab centre,
0:34:19 > 0:34:23beekeeper Guy Stubbs is finally ready to pit his wits against
0:34:23 > 0:34:29Stoffel and Hammy, with what he hopes is a badger-proof hive stand.
0:34:33 > 0:34:35The important thing is to make sure
0:34:35 > 0:34:37that you leave nothing lying around
0:34:37 > 0:34:40that Stoffel can use as a tool to climb onto the stand.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44With room for up to ten hives,
0:34:44 > 0:34:47Guy's raised metal cage is quick to assemble.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51If it works, it'll help keep the peace
0:34:51 > 0:34:53between beekeepers and badgers.
0:34:57 > 0:34:59OK. I think everything's ready now.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02Jan, won't you release the badgers, please?
0:35:05 > 0:35:07I feel that we've got a good chance.
0:35:13 > 0:35:15I don't think they can get up here.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31There's Stoffel trying. Look at that.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34Looks a bit like a sloth.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41He's feeling for a little hole or a grip,
0:35:41 > 0:35:44like he did with the tree, but, er, he's not finding one.
0:35:44 > 0:35:46They're too slippery.
0:35:50 > 0:35:52This is how we stop them getting in.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18Hammy has been watching from the sidelines,
0:36:18 > 0:36:20and with Stoffel flagging...
0:36:22 > 0:36:24..SHE moves in.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39Can you see? Can you see her claws?
0:36:41 > 0:36:43She seems to be getting a grip!
0:36:45 > 0:36:47Oh, this is terrible!
0:36:50 > 0:36:51No!
0:36:53 > 0:36:55Oh, no, man!
0:36:59 > 0:37:03And there, she's got it! She's got onto the hive!
0:37:03 > 0:37:05Can you believe it?
0:37:18 > 0:37:20She's actually pushed her way through,
0:37:20 > 0:37:22and got to the honey that way.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27That's her technique now.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29She's pushing the hives all over the place,
0:37:29 > 0:37:31and now she's blocked my view.
0:37:33 > 0:37:35Well, this is unfortunately not even Stoffel.
0:37:35 > 0:37:38It's even MORE embarrassing.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41It's round one to Hammy.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44And back to the drawing board for Guy.
0:37:49 > 0:37:54I've tried everything. I've got a lot of respect for honey badgers.
0:37:58 > 0:38:03Out in the bush, another day is drawing to a close.
0:38:05 > 0:38:09And the night shift is beginning to stir.
0:38:31 > 0:38:35For three weeks, Low and his field assistant, Becky,
0:38:35 > 0:38:38have been searching for badgers beyond the camp -
0:38:38 > 0:38:40without success.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51But they're about to get lucky.
0:39:01 > 0:39:03CLUNKING
0:39:03 > 0:39:05- BECKY:- Where is he?
0:39:10 > 0:39:14They've staked out a spot with fresh signs of badger activity,
0:39:14 > 0:39:16and it's paid off.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20Two badgers - a mother and a large male pup -
0:39:20 > 0:39:23have returned to dig up more food.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29Most likely, they're after beetle grubs and scorpions.
0:40:02 > 0:40:07The two badgers are soon joined by a THIRD.
0:40:07 > 0:40:09It's a huge male -
0:40:09 > 0:40:12and he's not interested in dinner.
0:40:16 > 0:40:20He seems to sense that the female is ready to mate again,
0:40:20 > 0:40:23after nearly two years of single parenting.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42When a mother starts to entertain suitors,
0:40:42 > 0:40:46it's the cue for her pup to move on and strike out on its own.
0:40:47 > 0:40:51This is potentially a big night for him.
0:40:53 > 0:40:57For Low and Becky, it's a rare and unexpected chance
0:40:57 > 0:41:00to observe courtship, honey badger-style.
0:41:01 > 0:41:03Did he SIT on her?!
0:41:07 > 0:41:09THEY LAUGH
0:41:19 > 0:41:20LOW GASPS
0:41:20 > 0:41:23It's actually dragging her!
0:41:25 > 0:41:27GROWLING
0:41:28 > 0:41:30YELPING
0:41:43 > 0:41:46LOUD YELPING
0:41:54 > 0:41:56Oh! He's biting hard.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10That really looks painful.
0:42:14 > 0:42:16THEY LAUGH
0:42:20 > 0:42:24- Are they IN a hole?!- Yes. It's lovely, isn't it?
0:42:24 > 0:42:26It's a badger love nest.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33It's incredible that they'd do this so close to the car.
0:42:37 > 0:42:39They really just don't care.
0:42:39 > 0:42:41No, not even slightly.
0:42:42 > 0:42:44Taking the hint, perhaps,
0:42:44 > 0:42:47the younger male moves off to feed elsewhere...
0:42:50 > 0:42:52..leaving the lovers to themselves.
0:43:05 > 0:43:08But the newly independent badger
0:43:08 > 0:43:11could hardly have picked a worse night to go solo.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16He's dangerously isolated,
0:43:16 > 0:43:20and his mother is too wrapped up to notice that the old enemy is back.
0:43:30 > 0:43:33This time, the hyenas have turned up in force -
0:43:33 > 0:43:36and the young male is out in the open.
0:43:39 > 0:43:42Whatever food the badgers have sniffed out,
0:43:42 > 0:43:45the hyenas now want to claim for themselves.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52Retreat would seem the sensible option here.
0:44:05 > 0:44:09Incredibly, though, the young male stands his ground,
0:44:09 > 0:44:12as if daring the hyena to attack.
0:44:12 > 0:44:13GROWLING
0:44:15 > 0:44:18Meanwhile, the big male has at last cottoned on...
0:44:20 > 0:44:23..and immediately squares up for a fight.
0:44:26 > 0:44:30Mother seems happy to let the boys sort it out.
0:44:30 > 0:44:32SNARLING AND WHIMPERING
0:44:36 > 0:44:40- (Listen to that! - You see, they're not backing off.)
0:44:46 > 0:44:48The four hyenas are determined to muscle in,
0:44:48 > 0:44:51but the outnumbered badgers
0:44:51 > 0:44:54are equally determined to force them back.
0:45:04 > 0:45:06GROWLING Look at that!
0:45:12 > 0:45:14HYENAS LAUGH
0:45:17 > 0:45:19If honey badgers are just bluffers,
0:45:19 > 0:45:23then they're the bravest act in the African bush.
0:45:25 > 0:45:28Some would say they're also the smartest.
0:45:31 > 0:45:34Having been outwitted by Stoffel countless times,
0:45:34 > 0:45:37Brian isn't taking any more chances.
0:45:40 > 0:45:42If an 8,000-volt electric fence
0:45:42 > 0:45:45doesn't stop the little mastermind...
0:45:47 > 0:45:48..he doesn't know what will.
0:45:54 > 0:45:57It's for everyone's benefit...
0:46:01 > 0:46:03..including Brian's.
0:46:03 > 0:46:07I've tried to make peace with him but he just wants to kill me!
0:46:07 > 0:46:11Whenever he hears my voice, his tail's up, ready for attack.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24Hello, Stoffel. Hello, my baby.
0:46:27 > 0:46:30Yes, my buddy. Oh, Stoffel!
0:46:30 > 0:46:33SNARLING Stoffel! Don't you forgive me?
0:46:33 > 0:46:37Yeah, Stoffel, you're worse than a woman - you just don't forget.
0:46:40 > 0:46:43Has Stoffel finally been contained,
0:46:43 > 0:46:46or has Brian merely set the stage
0:46:46 > 0:46:49for an even more ingenious escape?
0:46:53 > 0:46:56Aside from keeping Stoffel out of trouble,
0:46:56 > 0:47:00the business of saving WILD badgers is keeping Brian as busy as ever.
0:47:03 > 0:47:07Three more animals trapped by farmers have now been patched up,
0:47:07 > 0:47:09and are ready for release.
0:47:11 > 0:47:14Brian can only hope that the badgers don't go
0:47:14 > 0:47:16and create havoc for someone else.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37He's looking to see if we're following him.
0:47:38 > 0:47:41And he's got the cheek to growl on the way!
0:47:41 > 0:47:42Och, you lovely thing.
0:47:43 > 0:47:46One gone, two more to launch.
0:47:48 > 0:47:50LOUD SNARLING
0:47:58 > 0:48:03Brian knows that these badgers won't be the last he saves.
0:48:03 > 0:48:05But he'll keep doing whatever it takes
0:48:05 > 0:48:08to give these relentless little warriors a chance.
0:48:14 > 0:48:17The honey badger to me is so brave and so courageous and so determined
0:48:17 > 0:48:19that you can't help but love him.
0:48:25 > 0:48:27'He's really got a place in my heart.'
0:48:42 > 0:48:44After a month at the safari lodge
0:48:44 > 0:48:48trying to track honey badgers in the wild, Low is stumped.
0:48:50 > 0:48:53He's seen for himself that the honey badger's reputation for courage
0:48:53 > 0:48:57and ferocity isn't just hype.
0:48:57 > 0:48:59Yet as a scientist, he's still has
0:48:59 > 0:49:01so many questions he wants to answer.
0:49:01 > 0:49:04It's actually quite frustrating at the moment.
0:49:04 > 0:49:07I see these animals literally every single night.
0:49:13 > 0:49:15They come in, and cause chaos inside camp.
0:49:17 > 0:49:20As soon as morning hits, they just disappear.
0:49:22 > 0:49:25Their fearlessness, it seems,
0:49:25 > 0:49:27is backed up by a more subtle quality -
0:49:27 > 0:49:32a quality that enables it to get just what it wants,
0:49:32 > 0:49:34and then vanish.
0:49:37 > 0:49:43Perhaps intelligence is what really gives the honey badger its edge.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48Its brain might even be bigger than its bite.
0:49:54 > 0:49:58Honey badgers may have been regular visitors at the safari lodge,
0:49:58 > 0:50:01but filming them was far from straightforward.
0:50:04 > 0:50:07For the crew, alarm bells should have rung
0:50:07 > 0:50:10when they were asked to pick up a new fridge on their way in.
0:50:12 > 0:50:16Alas, not all of the delicate equipment being unloaded
0:50:16 > 0:50:18will be going home in one piece.
0:50:22 > 0:50:25Having dropped off the fridge, cameraman Robin Cox
0:50:25 > 0:50:28and assistant producer Will Benson get straight to work
0:50:28 > 0:50:30rigging cameras and infrared lights.
0:50:30 > 0:50:34So we'll put one GoPro here, looking at the gate.
0:50:34 > 0:50:36Do you think the 30-degree round the corner
0:50:36 > 0:50:38- needs some frosts on it, or...? - Yeah.- OK.
0:50:40 > 0:50:45The outdoor kitchen is frequently ransacked by badgers.
0:50:45 > 0:50:48Maintenance manager Alfred points out
0:50:48 > 0:50:50where the thieves have been breaking in.
0:50:50 > 0:50:51- Check!- That's claw marks!- Yeah.
0:50:51 > 0:50:54I mean, it looks like it's been cut with a saw.
0:50:54 > 0:50:56So its claws must be incredibly sharp.
0:50:56 > 0:50:58It's just literally sliced.
0:50:58 > 0:51:00SHE LAUGHS
0:51:03 > 0:51:04Do you like the honey badger?
0:51:13 > 0:51:15Fridge-cam,
0:51:15 > 0:51:18which hopefully will capture the badgers as they break in.
0:51:20 > 0:51:23Anna, do you think she's going to damage the fridge?
0:51:29 > 0:51:32So this GoPro's going to look at the gate.
0:51:32 > 0:51:34This one gives us our main view of the room.
0:51:40 > 0:51:43With lights plugged in and cameras set...
0:51:46 > 0:51:49..there's just one last piece of kit to put in place.
0:51:50 > 0:51:54So, um, we have one of these, Will.
0:51:54 > 0:51:56I think really you ought to wear this
0:51:56 > 0:51:58cos you haven't got any kids and I have.
0:51:58 > 0:51:59My legs are shorter than yours.
0:51:59 > 0:52:02It's a shorter reach for a honey badger to take a swipe.
0:52:02 > 0:52:06I haven't worn one of these since school.
0:52:09 > 0:52:12Robin is left on his own to wait quietly
0:52:15 > 0:52:17If recent form is any guide,
0:52:17 > 0:52:19it won't be long before the badgers are in the kitchen.
0:52:24 > 0:52:26'Robin! They're in the lounge!'
0:52:32 > 0:52:34You're joking.
0:52:40 > 0:52:44The surprise raid on the lounge leaves Robin sidelined,
0:52:44 > 0:52:46and the rest of the crew scrambling
0:52:46 > 0:52:50to film what they can with the spare camera.
0:52:54 > 0:52:56Is Will there?
0:53:00 > 0:53:03The team have been outflanked,
0:53:03 > 0:53:06and things are about to get worse.
0:53:09 > 0:53:12I've had a time-lapse camera running out on the embers of the fire
0:53:12 > 0:53:13on the boma down there.
0:53:13 > 0:53:17They decided to just chew straight through the wire.
0:53:18 > 0:53:21Sheared straight off.
0:53:21 > 0:53:23Adding insult to injury,
0:53:23 > 0:53:26one of the badgers films itself,
0:53:26 > 0:53:28vandalising the spare camera.
0:53:35 > 0:53:39Have the film crew, perhaps, bitten off more than they can chew?
0:53:43 > 0:53:45In the morning, Robin and the camp staff
0:53:45 > 0:53:47review the footage from the lounge.
0:53:49 > 0:53:52Oh! You see that thing!
0:53:52 > 0:53:56For a cameraman, it doesn't make happy viewing.
0:53:56 > 0:53:58Came and found the camera.
0:54:00 > 0:54:01Ah! Yeah! Oh!
0:54:01 > 0:54:03Microphone.
0:54:03 > 0:54:05He take, he put it there.
0:54:06 > 0:54:11One severed camera cable, and a mangled microphone cover...
0:54:13 > 0:54:14But on the plus side,
0:54:14 > 0:54:18the team has its first close-up of a wild honey badger.
0:54:36 > 0:54:40Night two, and the team are staking out the rubbish dump.
0:54:40 > 0:54:45There are plenty of leftovers here to tempt the badgers.
0:54:53 > 0:54:54Before he knows it,
0:54:54 > 0:54:59Robin has badgers in his sights, and he's finally rolling on some action.
0:55:04 > 0:55:08But the badgers don't seem to like being in the spotlight.
0:55:12 > 0:55:13What's going on?
0:55:17 > 0:55:21(Look, the badgers have just knocked the light over.
0:55:22 > 0:55:24(Both their tails are up.
0:55:24 > 0:55:27(They're obviously really excited smashing up our kit!)
0:55:28 > 0:55:31They're having a whale of a time, at our expense.
0:55:35 > 0:55:37As soon as the hooligans clear off,
0:55:37 > 0:55:41Robin and Will venture out to assess the damage.
0:55:47 > 0:55:49- Right, let's call it a night.- Yeah.
0:55:51 > 0:55:54It's been a rough night for the lights,
0:55:54 > 0:55:57and there's more bad news to come.
0:55:57 > 0:56:00I've just found one of our infrared GoPros in pieces,
0:56:00 > 0:56:02- strewn over about 5m.- You're joking.
0:56:02 > 0:56:04They've given it a right going-over.
0:56:04 > 0:56:07I mean, it's seriously tough plastic, this.
0:56:07 > 0:56:08I don't think that's going to work again.
0:56:08 > 0:56:10Tooth's gone right in there,
0:56:10 > 0:56:12and another one at the top.
0:56:12 > 0:56:13Number two GoPro down.
0:56:17 > 0:56:19It'll be days before Robin gets
0:56:19 > 0:56:23the spare parts he needs to fix the lights.
0:56:23 > 0:56:25They just seem to be out to wreck our gear at the moment.
0:56:27 > 0:56:31And it looks like Will might need a sewing kit.
0:56:31 > 0:56:34They've chewed a massive great hole in the side of our filming hide.
0:56:34 > 0:56:38I think, er, honey badgers just like destroying stuff.
0:56:41 > 0:56:43To add to the crew's problems,
0:56:43 > 0:56:4715 noisy tourists are now descending on the lodge.
0:56:47 > 0:56:51It's been hard enough trying to film badgers when it's quiet.
0:56:55 > 0:56:57And on night three,
0:56:57 > 0:57:02hopes that the visitors might turn in early are going up in smoke.
0:57:02 > 0:57:05It's coming up to ten o'clock now.
0:57:05 > 0:57:07There's still quite a lot of activity around the camp.
0:57:07 > 0:57:11Guests are still up, having drinks and talking round the fire.
0:57:12 > 0:57:14There's no sign of them disappearing off to bed.
0:57:14 > 0:57:17CHATTING AND LAUGHTER
0:57:23 > 0:57:25But ignoring all the noise,
0:57:25 > 0:57:29the badgers are once again going to teach the film crew a lesson.
0:57:34 > 0:57:38Never mind the party, there's a pork chop to be pinched!
0:57:38 > 0:57:40Look, look! Look, look, look!
0:57:40 > 0:57:44In plain sight of the guests, the brazen badgers help themselves...
0:57:48 > 0:57:53..and leave the film crew wondering if their whole tip-toeing approach
0:57:53 > 0:57:55has been utterly pointless.
0:57:55 > 0:57:58These guys really don't care.
0:57:58 > 0:58:00They don't mind if we're talking, making a lot of noise,
0:58:00 > 0:58:03banging about... These guys really aren't bothered.
0:58:04 > 0:58:08For once the badgers lay off the cameras,
0:58:08 > 0:58:12and stick to the business of looting.
0:58:16 > 0:58:20But tonight they're not just nicking food.
0:58:20 > 0:58:23They're also stealing a few hearts.
0:58:25 > 0:58:29It's cute. I love the honey badger.