Helplessly stuck in a patch of mud , this tiny zebra foal appeared doomed to a prolonged and agonising death . Then along came the most unlikely of rescuers - a gigantic bull rhino who had been attracted by the creature 's desperate struggles and mewling cries . It was the work of a moment for the enormous animal to hoist the foal out of the mud and to safety . But tragically this was one rescue that did not have a happy ending . Oblivious to its own strength , the rhino ended up impaling the zebra on its horn . Scroll down for video . Stuck in the mud : A bull rhino spots a zebra foal stuck in mud near a watering hole at the Madikwe Game Reserve and decides to start prodding the hapless youngster with his horn . Up you come : After a few seconds prodding the foal , the bull decides to hook it with his horn and yank it from the sticky morass - a move which seems to have come too quickly for the weakened youngster . Brutal : Although now free , the foal is almost sent flying by the bull rhino 's sudden movement . Tragic : The young zebra slumps heavily down onto the rhino 's horn . It is not clear whether this is the point that the foal was disembowelled by the bull 's clumsy rescue . Roel van Muiden , a field guide and wildlife photographer , spotted the foal stuck in a deep and pitiless patch of mud while he was showing visitors around the Madikwe Game Reserve in South Africa . Nearby a bull rhino was chasing some females , then being chased away in return , but the foal 's mother and her herd were nowhere to be seen . 'The foal must have been there for quite some time , ' wrote Mr van Muiden in Africa Geographic . The bull rhino , he went on , finally gave up on his futile advances . Wandering down to the water , he found the hapless foal . Curious , the huge beast began prodding the youngster with his horn . After a while the bull , growing impatient with his toy , sank his snout deep into the mire before quickly lifting the foal from the mud . This was no altruistic rescue mission , having helped it escape the morass he merely dropped the animal and wandered off . But then he came back to the exhausted youngster for another look . Apparently wanting to see the foal from another angle , he used his horn to move it into a different position , and disembowelled it . Dropping it again , the bull flopped to the mud himself for a roll-around , almost crushing the dying baby zebra . The stricken animal did n't last much longer . Boredom : The bull rhino had earlier got nowhere with his advances towards a couple of nearby cows . Mr van Muisen said many things went through his mind as he watched the tragedy unfold , but his foremost thought was to 'let nature be nature ' . ' I have had many comments from people seeing the photos asking why I did not retrieve the foal from the mud , ' he said . 'The zebra ’ s herd was gone so even if I could have , he would not have survived as his mother and harem were nowhere to be seen and thus he would have died from starvation . ' Mr van Muisen added that the foal 's mother probably knew her child was caught in a hopeless situation . She probably had good reason for abandoning it to its fate , he said . Despite the foal 's sad and early end , he said he felt lucky to see what he described as 'an amazing interaction between two species . ' ' I have been guiding for almost ten years and may go on for many and still never witness something as amazing and melancholy as this . '
South African Roel van Muiden saw the incident at Madike Game Reserve . The foal had been abandoned in a patch of mud by its mother and herd . Bull rhino used his horn to lift the youngster out - but disembowelled it . Mr van Muisen said he felt he must 'let nature be nature '