Pierre Nel and his wife, while on a tour in Marloth Park, South Africa, witnessed an extraordinary event. They saw a pack of around 20 mongooses aggressively attacking a python. The mongoose, known for its protective nature towards its family, especially the young, fiercely attacked the python from every angle.
Despite the mongoose’s relentless attack, the python did not fight back. Realizing it was outnumbered, it attempted to escape by crawling onto a small branch on the forest floor and waiting for an opportunity. However, the mongooses watched until it disappeared into the dense bushes.
Mongooses are social animals that live in herds with a dominant male. These striped cats eat a variety of foods such as insects, millipedes, beetles, birds, eggs, snails, fruit and snakes. When faced with a threat, mongooses exhibit coordinated defense tactics by gathering in groups to protect vulnerable members of their herd. Their boldness and cooperative behavior make them formidable opponents against predators. Mongooses employ “mobbing” as their self-defense tactic where they form a closed circle to attack predators collectively.
