A dolphin who was found dead in a river was shot with a shotgun , an autopsy has revealed . The body of the female adult bottlenose , named Graze , was discovered in the Port River , north of Adelaide before Christmas last year , but was only examined this month by scientists . South Australian Museum senior research scientist Catherine Kemper said four shotgun pellets were found in the dolphin 's body after she was found in the Barker Inlet area . 'It appears Graze did not die immediately after she was shot , ' Ms Kemper told Daily Mail Australia . One of the four shotgun pellets was found on the deceased body of female adult bottlenose named Graze . Graze pictured a decade ago when she was first sighted in 1992 by a Whale and Dolphin Conservation group . 'She was emaciated , and there were signs of disease that may have been related to the shotgun pellets entering her body . 'We believe she died within weeks or even months . The shooting was n't a primary cause of death but it was a secondary - something else followed after she was shot . ' Dr Kemper said there had been about 10 dolphins discovered dead after being shot in Adelaide waters since 1998 , despite all mammals are protected by law . 'We 're more annoyed and concerned than sad , ' Ms Kemper said . 'It 's distressing to think someone would injure one and we do n't know why they 're doing it - either intentionally or accidentally but it 's animal cruelty because it 's not really a nice thing to do . 'It 's an illegal act . We 're more concerned and we want to make sure people are obeying the law . ' I also understand that the local people have not been happy with it either so I suspect someone will make a report soon if they see anything suspicious . ' South Australian Museum senior research scientist Catherine Kemper ( right ) dissecting another dolphin . Ms Kemper said it was animal cruelty for a dolphin to be shot with a gun . Whale and Dolphin Conservation group Dr Mike Bossley first sighted Graze in 1992 and had since followed her movements and monitored her behaviour ever since . 'It is clear that despite the implementation of the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary in the area , these dolphins are still under threat , ' he told Daily Mail Australia . 'It is important that more resources are put into the sanctuary to improve its effectiveness . ' Dr Bossley said when he first identified Graze , she had suffered a major wound across the top of her back but fortunately , she survived and went on to have a number of calves . But this was not the first time a dolphin was killed by a shotgun in the local waters . Two dolphins were killed in the Barker Inlet in 1998 and the calf of one of these died shortly afterwards . The South Australian Museum has subsequently found shot gun pellets in dolphins collected in the Adelaide area on a number of occasions but the bodies were found just outside the sanctuary boundaries . Anyone who kills or wilfully injures a dolphin ( stock image ) could face up to $ 100,000 or two years in prison . The South Australian government introduced the sanctuary in 2005 to protect Adelaide 's resident bottlenose dolphins , and introduced heavy fines for those who attack the animals . In South Australia , the maximum penalty for anyone who kills or wilfully injures a protected marine mammal could face a hefty fine of up to $ 100,000 , or two years imprisonment . Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary manager Cristina Vicente told Daily Mail Australia these fines are issued under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 . 'We would like to encourage anyone that may have information about the incident to contact us or the police , ' Ms Vicente said .
Scientists at the South Australian Museum conducted an autopsy on Cristina Vicente the dolphin . The bottlenose was discovered mysteriously dead before Christmas . The scientists found four shotgun pellets inside the body . Cristina Vicente was found in 1992 a scientist has studied her movements since . The dolphin 's name comes from the injury on her fin .