Dolphins 'pulled from the sea in Argentina for selfies'

Pictures posted on social media show a crowd of people holding and touching a dolphin in the city of Santa Teresita.

The photos sparked condemnation from wildlife experts and social media users.

The Franciscana dolphin is vulnerable to extinction, and conservationists say only 30,000 of them live in the wild.

An Argentine wildlife foundation said that two dolphins were found by beach-goers and that at least one of them was dead.

A video of the incident appears to show a man taking one dolphin from the sea and walking around with it.

In pictures posted on Facebook, dozens of people are seen around the animal, touching it and taking photos.

It is not clear if the dolphin was alive or already dead or if the images are of the same animal.

The Franciscan or Del Plata dolphin is one of the smallest in the world, measuring between 1.3m (4.2ft) and 1.7m (5.5ft), the foundation said. They can be found only in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.

After the images emerged, the Vida Silvestre Foundation, a conservation group, issued a warning, telling people to help the animal return to the water if they are found stranded "so history will not repeat itself".

Users on social media also condemned the incident, with many calling it the result of "stupidity" and "ignorance".

(BBC)