A baby dolphin's death has the internet outraged after the creature was taken from the ocean and passed around for selfies by a mob of beachgoers, according to Argentinian Wildlife Foundation Vida Silvestre.
Two of the endangered critters, La Plata or Franciscana dolphins, were spotted by tourists in the waters off Santa Teresita, a beach resort town located southeast of Buenos Aires.
Footage obtained by Sky News shows a person taking one of the dolphins from the water. A swarm of people then congregate around the creature on the sand, and reach out to touch it and pass it around for photos.
According to Vida Silvestre, at least one of the two animals died from dehydration after the crowd took selfies and passed it around, leaving it to die on the sand.
It remains unknown why the dolphins were removed from the water.
“The potential for recovery of this species is very low,” the Vida Silvestre said in its statement. “The Franciscan, like other dolphins, can not survive long out of the water. It has a very thick and fatty skin, which provides warmth. Hot weather will quickly cause rapid dehydration and death.”
The wildlife organization pleaded with people to have compassion on the creatures. "It is vital that people help rescue these animals, because every Franciscan counts."
Less than 30,000 La Plata dolphins exist in the world, and are only found in Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina.
