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Last week, a young Franciscana dolphin was killed after beachgoers in Santa Teresita, Argentina reportedly pulled it out of the water so people could take photos with it.
These images were captured from an eye-witness named Hernan Coria, who called the situation a "pity."
In the video below, you can see a throng of people rushing over as someone pulls the dolphin out of the waves and carries it to the beach. Instead of returning it to the water or calling for help, a crowd begins to gather and some people even stroke the helpless animal.
The Franciscana, or La Plata, dolphin is an extremely rare dolphin found only in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. The animal grows between 4-6 feet long, up to 115 pounds and lives up to 20 years. They are so unique that not much is known about it, according to Dolphins-World.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the dolphin as vulnerable to extinction. There are roughly 30,000 left in the world.
The incident has drawn response from the Wildlife Foundation in Argentina. The organization issued a statement and also sent out this tweet that reads, "Do not take pictures. Help return it to the water. These situations can lead to death."
"The Franciscana, like other dolphins, can not remain long above water. It has a very thick and greasy skin that provides warmth, so the weather quickly causes dehydration and death," the organization said.
The organization noted that there were two dolphins yanked from the water on the day of the incident and at least one of the dolphins was killed.
"Therefore, the occasion serves to inform the public about the urgent need to return to these dolphins to sea before the encounter with one on the shore. It is vital that people help to rescue these animals because every Franciscana counts now," they concluded.
The footage here shows the marine mammal lying completely motionless on the beach, as if it was left to die.
The incident only serves as another reminder that we should not take selfies with wild animals.
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A powerful volcano on Monday rocked an uninhabited island frequented by tourists about 30 miles off New Zealand's coast. Authorities have confirmed that five people died. They expect that number to rise as some are missing and police officials issued a statement that flights around the islands revealed "no signs of life had been seen at any point,", as The Guardian reported.
"Based on the information we have, we do not believe there are any survivors on the island," the police said in their official statement. "Police is working urgently to confirm the exact number of those who have died, further to the five confirmed deceased already."
The eruption happened on New Zealand's Whakaari/White Island, an islet jutting out of the Bay of Plenty, off the country's North Island. The island is privately owned and is typically visited for day-trips by thousands of tourists every year, according to The New York Times.
My god, White Island volcano in New Zealand erupted today for first time since 2001. My family and I had gotten off it 20 minutes before, were waiting at our boat about to leave when we saw it. Boat ride home tending to people our boat rescued was indescribable. #whiteisland pic.twitter.com/QJwWi12Tvt
— Michael Schade (@sch) December 9, 2019
Michael Schade / Twitter
At the time of the eruption on Monday, about 50 passengers from the Ovation of Seas were on the island, including more than 30 who were part of a Royal Caribbean cruise trip, according to CNN. Twenty-three people, including the five dead, were evacuated from the island.
The eruption occurred at 2:11 pm local time on Monday, as footage from a crater camera owned and operated by GeoNet, New Zealand's geological hazards agency, shows. The camera also shows dozens of people walking near the rim as white smoke billows just before the eruption, according to Reuters.
Police were unable to reach the island because searing white ash posed imminent danger to rescue workers, said John Tims, New Zealand's deputy police commissioner, as he stood next to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in a press conference, as The New York Times reported. Tims said rescue workers would assess the safety of approaching the island on Tuesday morning. "We know the urgency to go back to the island," he told reporters.
"The physical environment is unsafe for us to return to the island," Tims added, as CNN reported. "It's important that we consider the health and safety of rescuers, so we're taking advice from experts going forward."
Authorities have had no communication with anyone on the island. They are frantically working to identify how many people remain and who they are, according to CNN.
Geologists said the eruption is not unexpected and some questioned why the island is open to tourism.
"The volcano has been restless for a few weeks, resulting in the raising of the alert level, so that this eruption is not really a surprise," said Bill McGuire, emeritus professor of geophysical and climate hazards at University College London, as The Guardian reported.
"White Island has been a disaster waiting to happen for many years," said Raymond Cas, emeritus professor at Monash University's school of earth, atmosphere and environment, as The Guardian reported. "Having visited it twice, I have always felt that it was too dangerous to allow the daily tour groups that visit the uninhabited island volcano by boat and helicopter."
The prime minister arrived Monday night in Whakatane, the town closest to the eruption, where day boats visiting the island are docked. Whakatane has a large Maori population.
Ardern met with local council leaders on Monday. She is scheduled to meet with search and rescue teams and will speak to the media at 7 a.m. local time (1 p.m. EST), after drones survey the island, as CNN reported.
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