Rare Sighting of Honey Badger and Cub at Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden!

Photo Credit: Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden

Who knew the world’s most fearless mom was raising her baby right here in Roodepoort?

Roodepoort, Johannesburg (18 August 2025) – Every now and then, nature gives us a reminder that wild things are never as far away as we think.

The team at Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden got that in the best way this week when a mother honey badger and her cub were caught on a trap camera, out for a wander and trundle over the rocky heights of the gardens.

The video, which has since been posted to Facebook, has gone viral with over 240,000 views.

Honey badgers aren’t the kind of wildlife you would expect to meet while you’re visiting Jozi’s botanical gardens, though there have been a few rare occasions of spotting them around over the years.

On the other hand, some residents of the area who scoped the footage say it’s a lucky sighting indeed – they’ve never eyed any honey badgers in their 70 years of living in the area. Others call upon Josh Crickmay for a special Jozi-edition of City Beasts, a show where the filmmaker follows the wildlife that call South Africa’s cities home.

Honey Badgers are seriously amazing animals!

These little legends are known for being tough-as-nails, famously fearless, and just about impossible to catch off guard. (They were crowned‘most fearless animal in the world’ by Guinness back in 2002).

James Stevenson-Hamilton, who was the very first game warden at Kruger National Park, actually saw two cases where a Honey Badger went after a Wildebeest and a Waterbuck, aiming for the scrotum. Those injuries were fatal for both animals. This proves just how tough and brave they are in a fight!

They also seem to be somewhat immune to snake venom. For example, one badger bitten on the face by a highly venomous puff adder showed signs of intense pain, but fully recovered in just five hours. This immunity might build up over a badger’s life, possibly from regular exposure to small doses of venom from snakes, scorpions, and bees.

So, don’t mess with a honey badger.

It’s rare to spot a mother and cub together. Usually, female honey badgers raise their kids solo, teaching them all the tricks of the trade, like how to dig, what to eat, and how to steer clear of bigger predators. The little ones stick with mom for about a year before heading out on their own honey badger adventures.

Seeing them at the Walter Sisulu Botanical Garden is a win, in that the gardens have been kept just wild enough for these two to consider it safe enough to roam.