ISSN: 2397-9607 Issue 220 In this 220th issue of the Baba Indaba’s Children's Stories series, Baba Indaba narrates the South African tale of why the African Honey Badger, or the Ratel (Raa-til), loves honey. The life of the honey badger is not an easy one. There is a lot of competition in the South African bush for scarce food resources, especially wild honey. So when a Honey Badger finds a fresh beehive, they are apt to raid it for all its worth. To this end Father Ratel has hidden his family’s stash of honey in a sack under his bed. It is brought out on occasion as a special treat for the young honey badgers to sample. But the family’s young son has sniffed out the stash and has been helping himself. His father suspects something is going on as his son has a decided whiff of honey about him all the time. So he asks his son where he is getting the honey from. His son tells him he is getting if from the Sweet Gum tree out there on the Savannah. But his father has never heard of a Sweet Gum tree, especially not one in this area of the veld (bush). He asks his son where this tree is so that he can check it out in the morning – which starts off a chain of events in which young ratel tries to recover the situation with predictable consequences. But is young ratel able to outfox his wily father? Download and read the full story here to find out what the eventual outcome was. 33% of the profit from the sale of this book will be donated to charities. INCLUDES LINKS TO DOWNLOAD 8 FREE STORIES Each issue also has a "WHERE IN THE WORLD - LOOK IT UP" section, where young readers are challenged to look up a place on a map somewhere in the world. The place, town or city is relevant to the story. HINT - use Google maps. Baba Indaba is a fictitious Zulu storyteller who narrates children's stories from around the world. Baba Indaba translates as "Father of Stories".

After working together to obtain honey, the African honey badger always shares it with his partner, the honeyguide bird, until one day when the honey badger becomes greedy and his feathered friend decides to teach him a lesson. When greedy Badger decides to keep the honeycomb all to himself, instead of sharing it with Honeyguide bird, he is chased through the pond, over an anthill, and through a landscape of many exotic animals where something waits to teach Badger a valuable lesson.

Never before has wildlife narration been this bold and this hilarious. More than 40 million people have viewed Randall’s honey badger video, “The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger.” “It has no regard for anyone or anything—it just takes what it wants! What a little badass!” When viewing wildlife footage, who hasn’t thought at times, “Ewww! What the hell is that?!” Randall thinks it — and says so! In Honey Badger Don’t Care, Randall examines and humorously informs on a dozen crazy, nasty animals of the wild kingdom employing his unique style of telling it like it is! His wildlife writing is refreshingly honest. If an animal scares Randall, he’s not afraid to share. Unlike most nature writers, Randall doesn’t deliver the sugarcoated or drab description. He “goes there” and shares his true feelings with his audience. Because of this, his readers feel that they can relate. Randall loves animals—even the ones that terrify him. He may not agree with how these animals conduct themselves in the world, but Randall wants everyone to know who they are. Just as he introduced the world to the honey badger, the Jesus lizard, and others, so will Randall shed light on twelve bizarre and interesting animals. Designed with callouts, sidebars, and more than fifty photos, Honey Badger Don’t Care presents a wildlife book for adults—hilarious, irreverent, profane, yet charming, chatty, and informative. Don’t be stupid—buy this book!

While the rest of the world scratches its head, life in Zimbabwe lurches on one way or the other. Bookey Peek's sequel to her captivating book ALL THE WAY HOME takes us back to Stone Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, where comedy, tragedy and the antics of "the meanest animal in the world" make every day an experience. In WILD HONEY, Bookey takes the reader back to Stone Hills and the rich experiences this beautiful sanctuary offers. The history of the Matobo hills, daily life of the rangers and their experiences, confronting poachers, dealing with life and death, fighting bush fires and dealing with the loss of a family member to AIDS, to name a few. Poombi, the star of ALL THE WAY HOME, is still alive with her piglets which she successfully rears wild. But Poombi meets a tragic end leaving the Stone hill community bereft. Fortuitously, on a visit to their friends' taxidermy studio Bookey and Richard meet what will become their next Stone hills orphan and charmer; a noisy, smelly occupant of a shoe box - an orphaned honey badger or ratel as they are called in Zimbabwe. Described by Robert Ruark as 'the meanest animal in the world' this delightful little monster stole Richard and Bookey's hearts and minds, when his original owners asked them to take him over when they went on holiday. The story evolves as we follow Bookey's vain attempts to discipline and house train Badge; an animal with a mind of it's own. It is a tale of hilarity, charm and poignancy set against the menacing fear of land grabs, election intimidation and problems of daily living in Zimbabwe.

When the honey guide cries, follow where she leads, past elephants and zebras, snakes and sleeping lions, to the place where there is treasure.

There are many interesting Honey Badger Facts! Learn about these animals in this book. They are a great way to learn about the animals that live in our own backyard. Learn about the different habitats that they are found in and discover what they have to offer. This species is widely distributed throughout Africa, Southwest Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. The IUCN Red List has listed the honey badger as Least Concern, which means that it is not considered a threat to human life. One of the most amazing Honey Badger Facts is that they are incredibly intelligent animals that can use tools to their advantage. In one South African rehabilitation center, a badger taught himself how to escape an enclosure by using rocks, sticks, and even a rake! These creatures are related to otters, ferrets, and weasels. You may be surprised to learn that they can also climb trees. Another interesting Honey Badger Facts is that they are the only mellivorous species with nipples. These animals typically give birth to twins and have an anus that can turn inside out to shoot a foul-smelling liquid. Just like skunks, they also spray a foul-smelling liquid when irritated. But unlike skunks, honey badgers do not have a mouthful of teeth!

A hilarious, highly original collection of essays based on the Botswana truism: “only food runs!” In the tradition of Bill Bryson, a new writer brings us the lively adventures and biting wit of an African safari guide. Peter Allison gives us the guide’s-eye view of living in the bush, confronting the world’s fiercest terrain of wild animals and, most challenging of all, managing herds of gaping tourists. Passionate for the animals of the Kalahari, Allison works as a top safari guide in the wildlife-rich Okavango Delta. As he serves the whims of his wealthy clients, he often has to stop the impulse to run as far away from them as he can, as these tourists are sometimes more dangerous than a pride of lions. No one could make up these outrageous-but-true tales: the young woman who rejected the recommended safari-friendly khaki to wear a more “fashionable” hot pink ensemble; the lost tourist who happened to be drunk, half-naked, and a member of the British royal family; establishing a real friendship with the continent’s most vicious animal; the Japanese tourist who requested a repeat performance of Allison’s being charged by a lion so he could videotape it; and spending a crazy night in the wild after blowing a tire on a tour bus, revealing that Allison has as much good-natured scorn for himself. The author’s humor is exceeded only by his love and respect for the animals, and his goal is to limit any negative exposure to humans by planning trips that are minimally invasive—unfortunately it doesn’t always work out that way! Peter Allison is originally from Sydney, Australia. His safaris have been featured in National Geographic, Conde Nast Traveler, and on television programs such as Jack Hanna’s Animal Adventures. He travels frequently to speaking appearances, and splits most of his time between Botswana, Sydney, and San Francisco.