Featured Image Credit Biff Hamil/Dead Dolphin Washed Up In Mobile Bay 1/13
ANOTHER baby dolphin is dead because of social media driven tourists in Argentina. SHAME ON YOU.
In the heart breaking video below from C5News, tourists can be seen swarming around the sweet baby cetacean.
One witness reported to C5News, “They let him die. They could have returned him to the ocean. He was breathing, but everyone started taking photos and touching him, saying he was already dead.”
Even though it’s hard to tell the condition of the dolphin’s health strictly from the video… it’s blatantly obvious that removing the calf from the water was NOT the best course of action. DUH.
Sadly, this is not the first time Argentinian tourists have decided the fate of an innocent dolphin calf. Last February, a group of tourists were photographed toting around the dolphin for photo ops, with the dolphin ultimately dying in the end.
What kind of a world are we living in where it is more important to get a picture with an innocent baby dolphin… rather than saving its life. When are tourists going to get a wildlife wake up call? This dolphin did not have to die.
*** “In the United States, all marine mammals are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). If you should find a marine mammal in distress, contact your local marine mammal stranding center immediately. If you do not know the number, alert a nearby lifeguard or contact local authorities. If the animal is alive, do not ever try to push the animal back into the ocean. Keep it wet and protected from the sun without covering the blowhole. Be sure to have location details for the stranding network, be specific as possible using GPS coordinates, landmarks, etc. Trained stranding network personnel will respond to the location and make an appropriate assessment that is in the best interest of the animal. Most of all, keep crowds away from the animal. The animal is likely sick or injured. Any number of people will only contribute to the stress of the animal, and ultimately its’ demise.” Suzanne Smith, Executive Director and Founder of the Amazon River Dolphin Conservation Foundation (ARDCF), gave this advice in her last post about a dolphin with an all too similar fate.