Selfie-Seeking Tourists Dragged and Killed Baby Dolphin for the Perfect Instagram Photo

Humans have once again demonstrated that they are willing to sacrifice nature and wildlife for their own petty gain.

Last Sunday, Argentina's La Capital reported about the death of a baby dolphin in the seaside resort of San Bernardo, Argentina. The newspaper noted that the baby dolphin was still alive when it was discovered. However, selfie-seeking tourists began to mob around the baby dolphin, dragging it out of the waters to take a perfect Instagram photo.

Read: Sperm Whale Found Dead Along Philippine Shores Ingested Too Much Plastic

"They let him die," a woman named Claudia told the newspaper quoted in the National Geographic. "He was young and came to the shore. They could have returned him to the water-in fact, he was breathing. But everyone started taking photos and touching him. They said he was already dead."

In a video posted on Youtube, tourists can be seen crowding the baby dolphin. They are standing or kneeling around the poor marine mammal, touching and petting it. However, nobody seems to take into consideration the welfare of the animal. Everybody is busy snapping the moment.

"This is a tragic and senseless death and sadly shows some people's focus on obtaining an animal selfie rather than thinking of the animal's welfare," the World Animal Protection told The Huffington Post. "It is so disappointing to see yet again how wild animals are treated cruelly as photo props."

It has been theorized that dolphins, like whales and sharks, goes into shallower waters when they are sick or injured. During their stay in the shallow parts of the water, they could get caught in the tide and be stranded or beached.

Dolphins that are stranded on the beach for a long period of time could greatly suffer because their bodies are not made for land. Without the buoyancy, which supports the dolphin's body weight in the ocean, the whole weight of the dolphin will put pressure on their fins and lungs, which could make it difficult for them to breath.

When you see a stranded dolphin or any other animals, think of its welfare first. The safety of the animal should always come first.

Tags dolphins, Marine mammal, animal abuse, animal rights, trapped dolphin, dolphin in Argentina