Distribution and conservation status of Honey Badgers Mellivora capensis in Iran

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Small Carnivore Conservation 52 & 53: 101–107
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Distribution and conservation status of Honey Badgers
Mellivora capensis in Iran
Ali TURK QASHQAEI1*, Paul JOSLIN2 & Parham DIBADJ3
1 Plan for the Land
Society, Tehran, Iran.
2 5838 Romania Drive,
Anchorage, AK, USA
99516.
3 Echo of Persia wildlife,
Tehran, Iran.
Correspondence:
Ali Turk Qashqaei
a.t.qashqaei@gmail.com
Associate editor:
Emmanuel Do Linh San
http://www.smallcarnivoreconservation.org
ISSN 1019-5041
Introduction
The Honey Badger or Ratel Mellivora capensis (Schreber, 1776) is the only species of the
genus Mellivora and has one of the largest distribution areas in the Mustelidae family
(Heptner & Naumov 1967). The species is native to Africa from the Cape of Good Hope in
the Western Cape Province of South Africa to Somalia, Ethiopia, and Sudan in the east and
to Morocco in the west. Beyond Africa, its range extends through the Middle East from
Israel to Iran, Central Asia from Turkmenistan to southwest Kazakhstan, Pakistan, India
Abstract.
The Honey Badger or Ratel Mellivora capensis, which is distributed over much of
Africa, the Middle East, Central and South Asia, is one of the rarest carnivores in Iran.
This report reviews the historical records in Iran coupled with the inclusion of a
number of more recent sightings in parts of the country where Honey Badgers had
formerly not been documented – notably in around Khoramshahr, Ramhormoz, Shush,
Dezful, Rafsanjan and Baft. Between 2008 and 2014, at least 14 individuals and a
family group of Honey Badgers were recorded from 13 localities, of which four were
killed outright by local people, two were camera-trapped, five were recorded by direct
observation, two were live-trapped and released, one was killed in a road accident and a
family group was captured by video. The Honey Badger is not adequately protected in
Iran. Habitat destruction, poisoned baits, trapping and poaching are important threats to
the species. In southwest and central Iran, the species is also sought after for its fat
which is used in traditional medicine.
Keywords: conservation, Honey Badger, Iran, Mellivora capensis, poaching, Ratel,
record, threat
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Distribution of Honey Badger in Iran
Small Carnivore Conservation 52 & 53: 101–107 102
and Nepal in South Asia (Harrison & Bates 1991, Vanderhaar & Hwang 2003, Mallon &
Budd 2011). The Honey Badger is listed as Least Concern by IUCN (Begg et al. 2008) and
in the Appendix III of the CITES.
Honey Badgers were recorded from some localities between the Amu-Darya River
and the Caspian Sea in Turkmenistan. From these localities, a few records were found
along the Atrek (Atrak) River, Kopet-Dag plains, and Tedzhen (Tedjen) River near the
Iranian border (Heptner et al. 1967). Iran was included in the Honey Badger distribution
range by Misonne (1959), who noted its presence in Khuzestan and Golestan provinces
(Figure 1). Until 2008, it was recorded in Khuzestan Province to the northwest of
Ramhormoz, between Ahwaz and Shush, and reported from Golestan Province around
Gorgan and along the Atrak River (Misonne 1959). Ziaie (2008) contributed several new
records for the species in Iran. One additional record was made by Joolaee et al. (2012).
This short paper examines the current distribution and threat status of the Honey
Badger in Iran by combining a literature review from 1959 to 2012 (Misonne 1959, Etemad
1985, Ziaie 2008, Joolaee et al. 2012, Karami et al. In prep; Table 1) with several new
records obtained by the first author from the Iranian Department of the Environment from
2012 to 2014. Some records of the species resulted from poaching in Khabr National Park
and Dadin Area, while others were confirmed by photo and video materials from Boroeiyeh
Wildlife Refuge (Ziaie 2008, Joolaee et al. 2012) and other regions (Figure 2).
Records of M. capensis in Iran
Old records: 2008–2012
• The one member of a family group of Honey Badgers was killed by local people in
Khabr National Park, 37 km to the south of Baft town. It was the first record of
Honey Badgers in Kerman Province (Ziaie 2008).
• The first evidence of the species in Yazd Province was recorded in Boroeiyeh
Wildlife Refuge, which is located in Khatam County, when a family group of
Honey Badgers was documented in a video (Ziaie 2008). The second sighting was
made in Kalmand Protected Area and the third was around Tangchenar village,
located at the edge of Aliabad Protected Area, westward of Kalmand Protected
Area (Karami et al. In prep.).
• The first record in Fars Province was a Honey Badger killed by local people from
Sar Mashhad village, Dadin area, located 120 km southwest of Shiraz city and 32
km to the south of Kazerun town (Joolaee et al. 2012).

Turk Qashqaei et al.
103 Small Carnivore Conservation 52 & 53: 101–107
Figure 1. Current distribution of Honey Badger Mellivora capensis in Iran. Blue dots: old records
by Misonne (1959) near Atrak River from Golestan in northeast (numbers 1 and 2) and near Iraq–
Iran border in the southwest of Khuzestan (3). Green dot: unpublished record by Joslin in 1974
from Dez-Karkheh Area in Khuzestan (see Fig. 2). Black dots: recent records by Etemad (1985)
between Ahwaz and Shush (1) and near Ramhormoz (2) in Khuzestan; Ziaie (2008) from Khabr
National Park (3) in Kerman and Boroeiyeh Wildlife Refuge (4) in Yazd; Joolaee et al. (2012) from
Dadin in Fars (5); Karami et al. (in press) from Aliabad Protected Area (6) and Kalmand Protected
Area (7). Red dots: Khoramshahr (1), Ramhormoz (2), Baft (3), Mansourabad near Rafsanjan (4),
Mehriz (5), Mianroud (6), Naderi village (7) and Helveh village (8) were new records by the Iranian
Department of the Environment from 2012 to 2014. Yellow dots: unconfirmed records in Bijar
Protected Area (1), Bahram-e Gur Wildlife Refuge (2) and Gughar Area (3).

Distribution of Honey Badger in Iran
Small Carnivore Conservation 52 & 53: 101–107 104
Figure 2. (A) A camera-trap set to record Honey Badgers in Dez-Karkheh Area in 1974 and (B)
taxidermy of a dead Honey Badger killed in a road accident in Dez-Karkheh Area in 1974 (Photos:
P. Joslin).
Recent records: 2012–2014
• The second and third records of the species in Yazd Province were camera-trap
captures to the southeast and south of Mehriz town, during December 2012.
• In September 2013, a subadult Honey Badger was live-trapped near Khorramshahr
city in Khuzestan Province. It was transferred to the Khorramshahr office of the
Department of the Environment and was released a few days later in the area
where it had been caught.
• In 2013, one adult Honey Badger was sighted around Helveh village near Karkheh
National Park and another one was observed around Mianroud town near Dez
National Park.
• In February 2014, two adult Honey Badgers were killed by local poachers in the
vicinity of Baft (Figure 3). This was only the second time that the species had ever
been recorded in Kerman Province.
• In March 2014, a rancher trapped a subadult Honey Badger near Ramhormoz town
in Khuzestan Province. It was transferred to the Department of the Environment
office in Ramhormoz and then returned to its den.
• In March 2014, a Honey Badger was sighted by a group of environmentalists near
Mansurabad, 46 km to the west of Rafsanjan town. This record was the first
evidence of the species in Rafsanjan County and only the third record from
Kerman Province.
• In 2014, one road kill of an adult M. capensis was recorded from Mianroud town
by the last author. Also, game wardens of Khusestan Province sighted a Honey
Badger around Naderi village, 20 km west of Dezful and 21 km north of Shush.
• Three unconfirmed records occurred in Bijar Protected Area (Kordestan Province),
Bahram-e Gur Wildlife Refuge (Fars Province) and Gughar Area (Kerman
Province; Table 1).
A
B

Turk Qashqaei et al.
105 Small Carnivore Conservation 52 & 53: 101–107
Table 1. Records (1959–2014) and poaching risk of Honey Badger Mellivora capensis in different
provinces of Iran.
Records
Khuzestan
Kordestan
Fars
Kerman
Yazd
Golestan
Number of poached
individuals
2 live-trapped
0
1 killed
3 killed
0
0
Number of records
outside protected areas
7
0
1
4c
0
2
Number of records
from protected areas
3
1a
1b
1
3
0
Number of road kills
2
0
0
0
0
0
Risk of poaching
High
Unknown
High
High
Low
Low
a An unconfirmed record in Bijar Protected Area from Kordestan Province (Fig. 1); b an unconfirmed record in
Bahram-e Gur Wildlife Refuge from Fars Province (Figure 1); c three individuals in two records, and an
unconfirmed record in Gughar Area northwest of Baft (Figure 1).
Figure 3. Two poached Honey Badgers in Baft town (Photo: Iran Environment and Wildlife
Watch).
Current status, threats and conservation
Honey Badgers were documented in 20 localities during 1959–2014 (Figure 1; Table 1).
The sample of old and recent records indicates that the Honey Badger is distributed in
southwestern, southern, central and northeast parts of Iran within the provinces of

Distribution of Honey Badger in Iran
Small Carnivore Conservation 52 & 53: 101–107 106
Khuzestan, Fars, Kerman, Yazd and Golestan. Poaching of this species has been
documented in recent years in some protected and unprotected areas (Ziaie 2008, Joolaee et
al. 2012). While not assessed in this study, poisoned baits and habitat destruction by
overgrazing, mining and extension of farmlands and human communities (Figure 4) are
also considered as threats. Some level of conflict between gardeners and Honey Badgers
has been reported. There is no information on the population status or biology of this
species in Iran. The Honey Badger is one of the rarest mammals in Iran, but it is not
protected by the Iranian Department of the Environment, and its fat is used in traditional
medicine (Ziaie 2008, Karami et al. In prep.). Looking at Iran as a whole, while this
mustelid may be secure in Yazd and Golestan provinces, poaching and other threats need to
be taken into account in Khuzestan, Fars and Kerman provinces. The Honey Badger is a
vulnerable species outside of the Iranian protected areas (Table 1).
Figure 4. A view of extension of croplands around Dez and Karkheh National Parks; one of the
most important areas for Honey Badgers in Iran (Source: Google Earth 2015).
Acknowledgements
We thank the game wardens of the Iranian Department of the Environment in Khuzestan,
Yazd, and Kerman for providing Honey Badger records and for their conservation efforts.
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