The shocking moment a tourist ‘killed’ baby dolphin, for selfies

THIS is the shocking moment a tourist paraded a baby dolphin along a beach so people could take selfies with it. And it all went horribly wrong.

PICTURED: crowd of people taking selfies with the baby dolphin A tourist who found a baby dolphin on the shore has been accused of causing its death after picking it up and carrying it onto the beach so everybody could get a closer look – and take pictures with it. But it is believed the selfies cost the life of the dolphin after it was found on the Argentine beach resort of Santa Teresita in the north-eastern Buenos Aires Province. Fellow beach-goer, Hernan Coria, was one of those who took a series of photos of the incredible moment that the man picked up the La Plata dolphin - also known as the Franciscana dolphin - (Pontoporia blainvillei) and held it high in the air like a trophy. Dozens of people crowded round to get a look of the squirming calf as they strained to touch it, and have their photos taken with it. Dolphins can live to be twenty years old, but a short while after being taken out of the water and manhandled, the baby dolphin died. The last tragic images show the body, abandoned on the sand with all the novelty having worn off now that it was no longer alive. The episode has caused the Wildlife Foundation in Argentina to emit a public reminder about the vulnerable species, which only present off the coast of Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. "The Franciscana, like other species, cannot remain for much time outside of the water, it has thick fatty skin which gives it heat and means that taking it out of the water rapidly causes it to dehydrate and die", they said. "This occasion serves to inform the public about the urgent necessity to return these dolphins to the sea as soon as possible if they find them on the shore. It is fundamental that people help to rescue these animals, because every Franciscana counts now", they finished. The Franciscana dolphin is listed as "Vulnerable" in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (ICUN) Red List of Threatened Species. However, the Franciscana is of particular conservation concern because of i

THIS is the shocking moment a tourist “killed” a baby dolphin by parading it along a beach so holiday-makers could take photos.

Pictures taken on the Argentine beach resort of Santa Teresita show huge crowds of tourists clamouring to see the tiny mammal.

Tragically the dolphin’s thick fatty skin meant it quickly overheated and died — with its tiny body later left discarded on the sand.

WARNING: DISTRESSING IMAGES

A tourist picking it up and carried it onto the beach.

Beach-goer Hernan Coria was one of those who took a series of photos of the La Plata dolphin as it was being manhandled by a tourist.

Dozens of people crowded round to get a look at the squirming calf, straining to touch it and take selfies with it.

But, like many species of dolphin, the animal isn’t able to spend long out of the water without overheating.

Tragically the baby dolphin died while still being passed around for selfies.

So sad.

The last tragic images show the baby dolphin’s body lying abandoned on the sand.

The episode led to the Argentinian Wildlife Foundation to issue a public reminder about the vulnerable La Plata dolphins, which are only found off the coasts of Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil.

La Plata dolphins are listed as a “vulnerable” species, with only 30,000 left in the world.

Its conservation is of particular concern because they tend to swim close to the shoreline, where they often become tangled in fishing equipment.

This article originally appeared on The Sun.