A brave honey badger fought off four lionesses on its own in a ‘once-in-a-lifetime-sighting’.

Safari guide Stohm Lewthwaite was leading a tour through Thanda Safari Private Game Reserve, South Africa, on August 12 when he spotted two predators on the prowl.

Dramatic footage – that has been viewed more than 1.6million times – captured a pair of lionesses trying to pin down an unlucky honey badger.

Despite the honey badger snapping at its attackers’ paws, two more lionesses joined the chase until the would-be-meal managed to escape into a nearby den.

Stohm said: “This was the first time I’d seen an interaction like this between the two species. It was an incredible, possibly once-in-a-lifetime sighting.

“In my seven years of being a guide, I’ve never seen anything like this before.

“We joined the scene mid-interaction, and our sighting lasted about five minutes. The honey badger made a narrow escape and survived.”