SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - Pictures and video of a baby dolphin that apparently died after being passed around by a group of beachgoers in Argentina has sparked internet outrage and a harsh response from Argentina’s wildlife foundation.
According to CBS News, a group of people gathered around the baby dolphin after plucking it from the sea at a beach resort in Santa Teresita. The dolphin is believed to have overheated and died while out of the water.
Pictures of the incident were posted to a now deleted Facebook account by Hernan Coria, showing people taking pictures with the dolphin.
The Argentine affiliate of the World Wildlife Foundation posted a letter to its website, reporting that two Franciscan dolphins were pulled from the water by beachgoers and that at least one of them died.
“This occasion serves to inform the public about the urgent need to return these dolphins to the sea if one is found on the shore,” the statement read in Spanish. “It is vital that people help rescue these animals, because every Franciscan has a value.”
