The badger, the jackal and the goshawk.
As the saying goes, ‘there are those who are willing to work, and there are those who are willing to let them’. This is never more true than in the Kgalagadi with the 3 stooges. The honey badger, the black backed jackal and the pale chanting goshawk are the main players in this drama that unfolds daily in the desert.
The badger shuffles along the desert and is ready for anything that comes his way, he is an inveterate hunter and will tackle literally anything he comes across. That could be snakes, scorpions, nests on the ground, beetles, small animals of various types and will seek out and destroy with a will. He is such a indefatigable hunter that he has a train of followers. The jackal and the goshawk literally seek him out and follow at a respectful distance and wait for him to dig up whatever it is he finds and eats. Their share is the scraps he messily leaves behind.
So whenever you see the goshawk close to the ground moving from tree to bush to tree or hovering around, you know the badger is not far away. Mooching off the badger is just second nature to the jackal and the goshawk. No effort, stay close, not too close, wait for the badger to find something, let him have the first go and when he moves on clean up behind him.
In the photos the badger found something in the bush and the jackal just settles down and waits for him to do his thing. So they give him his space and just wait and watch eagerly to see what is coming their way. This is their equation and they are happy with it.
