Initial plans to release Buster back into the wild kept failing, until Vernon and Tony decided to make her one of the family and to allow her to be used for an extensive honey badger awareness campaign.
When only 11 weeks old, Busters’ face appeared on 1,2 million boxes of ProNutro, her favourite food through her weaning phase.
Based on honey badger persecution throughout the Western Cape, Buster was introduced to several bee-keepers to change attitudes and employing new me-thods to safeguard bee-hives. Buster was introduced to over 10 000 school pupils who visited the sanctuary where environmental education and other programmes were held.
Film star
Buster was approached by a supermarket chain in Cape Town to introduce her to employees to build her enclosure and endorse the badger friendly honey. She was accommodated in a 5 star hotel in Cape Town and treated like a queen. This received extensive media coverage including SABC News and eTV news.
Vernon and Tony were approached by acclaimed naturalist David Attenborough, who at the time was filming Life in Cold Blood. The stage was set for Buster to star in her first documentary confronting a Cape Cobra with no animals being harmed during filming. Soon after this first docu-mentary, Vernon was approached by a film company making the hit movie Meerkats. The crew specifically wanted Buster to run out a hole growling at a meerkat. After 10 days of filming, Buster eventually obliged and the producers finally got their footage.
In her third documentary, Buster was filmed for a Japanese TV programme, where she again performed like a real celebrity. The Japanese programme is still being shown regularly on Japanese television. Buster’s biggest challenge came when the BBC approached Vernon and Tony to film Buster in the popular series The Deadly Sixty filmed in the Werner Frehse Nature Reserve. Buster again performed well for the crew and cameras, although she was very curious about the lenses and equipment.
The series The Deadly Sixty, is also being re-run in the United Kingdom where many adults and children came to know Buster. After moving from Riversdale to Hoekwil, Vernon and Tony decided to retire Buster. Although retired, Buster was still taken to many talks and presentations, creating further awareness concerning this reclusive and charismatic species.
Tributes
Buster’s life will be celebrated in many tributes. Her Facebook profile continues to receive many friend requests from children across the globe saddened by the news of her death. After several attempts to combat the viral pneumonia she contracted, the neurological damage she suffered as a result rendered her paralysed.
A very special place for Buster was the Big Tree in Hoekwil. Despite the sign saying no dogs allowed (nothing about honey badgers), she went for regular exercise in the forest.
Vernon Gibbs-Halls has almost completed a book entitled - The Adventures of Buster in which he recalls the valuable role she played in conservation and the difference she made to many people’s lives.
Mourning
An emotional, Vernon said this week - "These are dark days for Tony and myself as we continue to feel bereft. We take solace in having had the pleasure of sharing our lives with Buster. I would like to dedicate a recent regional award I won from WESSA, to this precious little creature."
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Buster was accustomed to children gathering round to admire her. She was accustomed to being in the limelight and starred in several documentaries.
ARTICLE: PAULINE LOURENS, GEORGE HERALD-REPORTER
