Honey badgers face habitat loss, persecution, and the exotic pet trade despite being notoriously difficult to keep in captivity.
Honey badgers in captivity — whether in zoos, sanctuaries, or the pet trade — suffer from the extreme mismatch between their natural wandering behavior and any enclosure. Their notorious escape behavior reflects not mischief but desperate attempts to range as they naturally would. Repeated failed escapes cause injuries. Farmers killing honey badgers as pests often use cruel methods.