Death by selfie: baby dolphin dies when too many tourists grab it for a snap

The human deaths due to the relentless pursuit of the most interesting selfie are reaching epidemic proportions indeed, but killing animals in order to take that proverbial snap to upload for 15 minutes of fame is debauchery at a whole new level. Yes, this happened, and with a baby dolphin at that, which is one of the most innocent creatures that could suffer from such a gruesome fate.

What we are talking about is a baby Franciscana dolphin that appeared with a larger sibling at an Argentinian beach, and was scooped out of the water by (likely well-meaning) tourists who just wanted to take a snap with it. Being passed it from hand to hand didn't sit well with the baby dolphin in the heat, though, due to the sheer amount of people who tried to get in the frame together with it, and the poor creature couldn't survive the endeavor. 

Adding insult to injury, the Franciscana Dolphins (Pontoporiidae) are endangered species, and can't survive long out of the water due to their thick, greasy skin that makes them prone to overheating when exposed to the elements. Despite environmentalists' advice for people to push them back in the sea if they are found in shallow waters, or wandering off to a beach, the tourists pulled it out just to take that all-important selfie to brag with, for yet another such disaster to unfold.

source: LaNacion