Jagatsinghpur: A fierce little mammal honey badger was spotted at Mahal village in the outskirt of Paradip in Jagatsinghpur district on Thursday.
The badger had entered into a human settlement when the locals caught the omnivore and informed the same to the forest officials.
The officials reached the spot and rescued the animal.
Forest officials said honey badgers feed on various things, including birds, reptiles, rodents, berries, roots and fruits.
Their keen sense of smell helps them sniff out food hidden underground, while their long, strong claws help them dig for or catch that food, then rip their meal to pieces.
Honey badgers are named after their presumed fondness for honey. However, these animals are actually interested in the bee larvae found in honeycombs.
Little-known facts
The honey badger, also known as the ratel, is a mammal widely distributed in Africa, Southwest Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. Because of its wide range and occurrence in a variety of habitats, it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
It is the only species in the genus Mellivora and in the mustelid subfamily Mellivorinae. Despite its name, the honey badger does not closely resemble other badger species; instead, it bears more anatomical similarities to weasels. It is primarily a carnivorous species and has few natural predators because of its thick skin, strength and ferocious defensive abilities.
The species first appeared during the middle Pliocene in Asia. A number of extinct relatives are known dating back at least 7 million years to the Late Miocene. These include Mellivora benfieldi from South Africa and Italy, Promellivora from Pakistan, and Howellictis from Chad.