The Dwarf Mongoose is considered to be Africa’s smallest carnivore and also the smallest in the region. We sighted many of this species throughout our African Safari, however, they used to disappear into the bushes at the sight of the Jeep. On the other hand, we found the D’Arnaud’s Barbet to be a more adventurous species that we could easily get close to. Little did we know that these two species would come together to give us an exciting wildlife experience in the African bushes.We were driving through the Western Serengeti range when we sighted a pair of D’Arnaud’s Barbets vigorously calling out and we realised that they seemed pretty upset with something. As we stopped to take a couple of pictures, we saw a Dwarf Mongoose emerge from a nearby bush. The moment the Dwarf Mongoose emerged, the Barbets launched an attack on it and took turns to chase the it away. However, this time the Mongoose stood its ground inspite of the Jeep being so close to it.At first glance we didn’t understand this strange behavior of both these species. However, a little later when we saw something dripping from the Mongoose’s mouth we pieced together the whole story. The Dwarf Mongoose seemed to have raided the D’Arnaud’s Barbet’s nest and eaten its eggs and the Barbets were making valiant efforts to try and chase it away. Here are a few images from that gripping duel.
