In early August, a honey badger was captured on video for the first time on Mount Dov in the Hermon region, using a thermal imaging camera. The rare footage provides a rare glimpse of one of Israel’s most elusive and endangered predators.
The thermal video shows a solitary honey badger with its characteristic low-slung body, short legs, and striking coloration — a gray-white back contrasting sharply with a dark belly. The animal’s unique, lumbering gait also helped confirm its identity.
What stood out most, however, was the badger’s bold behavior. It appeared to confront a much larger animal, likely a golden jackal, without hesitation. Raising its tail and emitting loud noises, the badger showed no fear — a signature trait of the species. Soldiers stationed nearby reported hearing strange sounds at the time of the encounter.
This sighting marks an extremely rare observation of a species now considered severely endangered in Israel, although it is considered common in other regions of the world. Honey badger populations have vanished from large swaths of the country, primarily due to deliberate harm by beekeepers who view them as a threat.
In recent decades, sightings have been limited mostly to the Negev and Arava regions. The last documented case occurred in summer 2022, when a badger was found after being struck on the Arava highway.
Despite its small size, the honey badger is famed for its fearless nature. It uses powerful jaws and sharp claws to hunt and defend itself, often taking on animals far larger. When threatened, it can emit a loud warning call and release a foul-smelling secretion as a defense mechanism.
Source link
