Young dolphin dies when it's carried on to the beach for people to stroke and take photographs in Argentina

A young dolphin has died of suspected dehydration after being paraded around like a trophy and stroked by a crowd of sunbathers who then abandoned it on the sand.

The group of people huddled around the mammal taking selfies after it was found on the Argentine beach resort of Santa Teresita in the north-eastern Buenos Aires Province. 

Dozens of people crowded round to look at the squirming calf as they strained to touch it, and have their photos taken with it.

'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 its restricted distribution and vulnerability to incidental capture in fishing gear. There are only around 30,000 examples thought to be left in the world. 

dailymail.co.uk