Oltukai Conservancy

Category: Uncategorized | Date: Nov 26 2008 | By: oltukaiconservancy

The Ratel or Honey Badger is a chunky, lumbering carnivore that lives throughout Africa except in driest centre of the Sahara and the Mediterranean littoral. At Least 11 sub-species have been named. Ratels are opportunistic omnivores, specialising in the excavation of social insects, mice, spiders and scorpions from hard sub-terranean hiding places.  Also ratels will feed on the softer parts of well protected animals, such as tortoises and turtles, and whenever possible will take reptiles, birds and even fish, and has been known to cover 37 km a night foraging for food. Once a female ratel comes into heat, courtship is very energetic. After days of deliberation, a male is accepted as mating partner and the pair will remain in a burrow for 3- 4 days mating. The female ratel will give birth in a self dug, grass lined burrow to up to 4 young after a gestation period of around 6 months. A ratel cub is almost an exact replica of its mother, and as it grows, it learns to be aggressive to any other creature, as it travels across the plains.

Honey Badgers are found throughout the Ol Tukai conservancy but are rarely seen because of their nocturnal behavior.

Thank you

Ol Tukai team.