In October 1998, an adult female black rhino took up residence on the plains adjacent to Kichwa Tembo. These animals typically occur in the thickets of the eastern Maasai Mara, so it was a surprise to find an individual in the west.
On 26 Oct 1998, the pride of lions ambushed a subadult zebra. Before they had suffocated the zebra, the resident black rhino emerged from a nearby thicket and chased the pride off. The zebra was badly injured and could not run away, to our amazement it was then set upon by the rhino. It gored the zebra with her horn and tossed it into the air. She did this twice and the zebra was dead. On 15 Nov 1998, the same rhino was seen to attach a golden-maned lion while in the process of mating with one of the lionesses. The lion was impaled through the neck and flank and died two days later.
