A honey badger, two jackals and a python have been filmed in an extraordinary fight in a safari park in Botswana.

The footage, recorded by a tourist, begins with the honey badger seemingly seconds away from death as the snake coils its hulking body around its neck. A cape buffalo stands nearby, grazing impassively.

Moments later, the tables are turned by the arrival of a jackal, which snaps at the python. The snake bears its teeth and fends off the intruder, but the interruption allows the honey badger to wriggle free.

After a moment’s pause, the newly liberated honey badger seizes the python in its jaws and begins to drag it towards some bushes. As the helpless snake is hauled away from behind, it rears its head and fights off another attack from the jackal from the other side.

But things are about to get worse for the unfortunate reptile. A second jackal now enters the fray and joins a triple-pronged assault on the severely outnumbered serpent.

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The honey badger is clearly in no mood to share the meal with its canine rescuers, however. The three mammals become embroiled in a chaotic melee, with one jackal biting at the honey badger’s tail as it tussles with the other in a tug-of-war over the snake.

Despite being outflanked, it is the honey badger who prevails. After facing down one last attempt from one of the jackals to snatch the snake, the fearless fighter drags away the now motionless python to enjoy its reward in the privacy of the bushes.

The dramatic scene astonished watching tourists and their guide, who is heard in in the video saying: “Oh, oh, oh! Are you filming that? This is a nice sighting, guys. I’ve never seen something like this ... This is the best sighting I’ve ever had.”

The footage, captured by Roselyne Kerjosse and uploaded to YouTube, also impressed online viewers, who described it as “amazing”.

“Here’s why you never count out a honey badger, even if it’s outnumbered,” tweeted one.