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The much-loved Garden Route rhino Sir Fabian, known for his remarkable friendship with a pug puppy, was darted by poachers before its horn was hacked off.
Owner of the Nyaru Game Lodge near Mossel Bay, Ruan Fouche, said on Thursday an autopsy done on the seven-year-old bull confirmed suspicions that the animal was darted and not shot.
"We believe Sir Fabian died because of an overdose of tranquiliser used by the poachers. He didn't bleed to death because the horn was removed with precision and wasn't cut into the flesh. We are just awaiting tests to confirm which drugs were used."
Wildlife veterinary expert Dr William Fowlds said there was a very fine line between "sedation and death" when it came to darting animals like rhinos. "Poachers would often intentionally administer a higher than recommend dosage for the effects to kick in quicker. They have one goal and that is to get in and out as quickly as possible and don't have any concern for the safety of the animal," Fowlds said.
Rangers at the reserve discovered the carcass during a game drive late on Monday afternoon. "We believe he was killed on Sunday already."
"There are also still big question marks about how the poachers gained access to the reserve. We are very isolated, not near any roads and we could not find any tracks to suggest that someone was there."
He said the incident was especially tragic, because the rhino was "quite the character" and could always be found at the reserve's restaurant at 7pm every eveing where he received a supplementary feed.
"He also had a special relationship with the reserve's pug puppy Madam Gigi."
The two would follow each other around the reserve, have a bite of lucerne together and were often seen playing.
According to the Department of Environmental Affairs this is the first rhino killed for its horns in the Western Cape in more than a year, bringing the national total this month alone to more than 40 after 1004 animals were slaughtered countrywide last year.
