Stoeffel The Honey Badger’s Amazing Escapes
The Claim
A honey badger in a South African wildlife refuge has escaped its enclosure twice to fight lions and has built elaborate towers to climb over its wall.
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Emerging story
A resurfacing story of a honey badger in a South African wildlife refuge has again caught social media’s attention. Reportedly, the honey badger escaped his enclosure twice to fight the lions next door. He also built towers out of sticks and rocks, and stood on his mate’s head to reach the gate lock — all in effort to escape and fight the lions again.
Misbar’s Analysis
The honey badger who is the subject of these claims is named Stoeffel, and he shows amazing intelligence in his ingenious escapes. In early 2014, the BBC put out a segment featured Stoeffel building towers out of rocks and even mud, using various tools to escape, and using teamwork with his mate to open a gate.
The only difference between the viral story and the true story is Stoeffel’s chivalry. Ever the gentleman, Stoeffel doesn’t stand on his mate’s head. The video shows that he allows her to climb to the upper latch, letting them both out of their enclosure.
A follow-up story details Stoeffel’s escape to fight the lions, but also explains the need to continuously imprison Stoeffel: he was raised by humans. When he became too much for them to handle he was given to the Maholoholo Animal Sanctuary. As he has acclimated to humans he cannot be released into the wild. He would be a danger to humans and himself.
An even older viral video lists some of the honey badger’s most interesting facts, including being called the “Most Fearless Animal” by Guinness Book of World’s Records. Honey badgers are omnivores and even eat snakes and scorpions, due to their natural immunity to many poisons.
