Story Archive

Selfies Are Dangerous

A man at the beach in Santa Teresita, Argentina, picked a baby dolphin out of the surf, and several people then began taking selfies with it, passing the animal from person to person. The dolphin quickly overheated and died while out of the water, but beachgoers continued to pass it around after its death. Once all the selfies were taken, the dolphin’s body was dumped onto the sand. The dolphin was a La Plata — or Franciscana — variety, which is listed as a “vulnerable” species; only about 30,000 are left in the world. “This terribly unfortunate event is an example of the casual cruelty people can inflict when they use animals for entertainment purposes,” a spokeswoman for World Animal Protection said. “Wild animals are not toys or photo props. They should be appreciated — and left alone — in the wild where they belong.” (MS/Sky News, ABC Australia) ...It’s sad that the more intelligent being was killed.