You might remember, back in February last year there was mass outrage over a group of tourists killing a tiny baby dolphin because they swarmed to take selfies with it. It tragically passed away due to dehydration, after the tourists kept passing around so they could each get photographs with it.
Now, we’re heartbroken to report that it’s happened a second time, again in Argentina.
While the identical incident last year was at a beach in the resort town of Santa Teresita, the most recent death was located in San Bernardo.
Tourists allegedly dragged the dolphin out of the ocean, after it swam towards the shore.
A blurry Youtube video shows a crowd surrounding the tiny animal and petting and cuddling the mammal, and taking photos of it.
Otra vez mataron a un delfín en San Bernardo. Sacaron al animal del mar para sacarse fotos. pic.twitter.com/4qzYnWvKiH
— C5N (@C5N) January 23, 2017
A witness of the heartbreaking incident told Argentinian news channel C5N:
“They let him die. 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.”
Let’s not get it twisted – animals are very cute and excellent. Let’s not kill them for selfies.
National Geographic puts it best in their fantastic piece, ‘The Dark Side of Trendy Animal Photos‘:
“Social media has changed the landscape, making exotic animals seem adorable and acceptable, but what you don’t see is the suffering that lies behind the images.Making—and sharing—these images and videos puts the animals at risk by heightening their appeal as pets and giving the impression that it’s fun (and safe) to get close to them.”
Source: National Geographic / Twitter.
Photo: Hernan Coria / Facebook.
