“Forever My Favourite”: Popular Rescue Tiger’s Tragic Death Leaves South Africans Mourning

• A rescue tiger at a big cat sanctuary in Stanford, Western Cape, sadly died in the recent wildfires
• The sanctuary shared on Instagram what had happened after they had tried to evacuate all their animals
• People on the internet were heartbroken when they saw the news and sent messages of condolences

Since 6 January 2026, disastrous wildfires have struck the Western Cape, affecting the lives of many in Mossel Bay, Stanford, Pearly Beach, and Dunoon. The now-contained flames also tragically ended the life of Rays, a rescue tiger from Panthera Africa Cat Sanctuary.

The Stanford-based non-profit organisation, also home to other big cats that were sadly affected, posted the news on Instagram on 11 January 2026, writing:

"As the flames approached with unimaginable speed, we managed to get him to his feeding camp, where he was darted and rushed to the clinic."

Despite their efforts and quick evacuation, the sanctuary shared that the combination of smoke inhalation and the darting "caused severe lung oedema and cardio-respiratory compromise."

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Rays went into a coma and later died from his internal injuries.

Take a look at the Instagram reel posted on Panthera Africa Cat Sanctuary's account below:

South Africans mourn Rays the tiger

Hundreds of messages of condolences poured in from mourning South Africans, while others shared fond memories of the beloved tiger.

A heartbroken @elsloor commented:

"Forever my favourite."

@vicky.fenner said to the sanctuary:

"Can’t imagine how devastating this has been for you on top of everything else."

@mishca.myburgh shared with the public:

"He was the highlight of my visit to Panthera. Rest easy, Rays."

@noechrdn sadly wrote:

"I thought he was invincible. Run free, beautiful Raysie boy."

3 Other stories about tigers

• In another article, Briefly News reported that a South African woman wowed many when she bonded with a tiger while on vacation in Limpopo.
• A woman impulsively lifted a tiger's tail and immediately regretted her actions, which led to jokes on the internet.
• A veterinarian who treated animals at a zoo found herself in a dangerous position when a tiger grabbed her through a fence with its massive claws.

Source: Briefly News