(NaturalNews) A rare species of dolphin faces a new threat. Packs of tourists are capturing the dolphins from the ocean so that they can take selfies with the beautiful sea creatures. Franciscana dolphins are listed as “vulnerable,” and found only in the waters off southeastern South America.
One of these small, magnificent creatures was taken from the ocean onto a beach in Argentina, and then passed around by tourists looking for a fun selfie. The dolphin was later found discarded on the beach, listless in the surf.
The only thing left were Facebook photos of giddy tourists posing with the dolphin like it was some kind of toy. An environmentalist from the Vida Silvestre Foundation responded to the incident online. “[Dolphins] can not remain long above water. They have very thick and greasy skin that provides warmth, so the weather will quickly cause dehydration and death.”
This isn’t the first time animals have been pulled from their natural habitat, used for virtual enjoyment, and then discarded, dead. In fact, in less than a month, there have been three infamous animal deaths all due to foolish consumers poaching for a selfie.
On the same beaches in Argentina, just days after dolphins had been used for selfies and discarded in the surf, another tourist attempted to capture and pin down a shark. After struggling with the shark and pulling it to the beach by its tail, the tourist took pictures with the animal. He later offered several sightseers the opportunity to take their picture with the animal too.
When they were finished exploiting the shark for social media notoriety, they left the animal right there on the beach. It is unknown whether the shark survived, as some tourists did attempt to return it back to its natural habitat.
A couple of weeks later, pictures surfaced of a Bulgarian woman dragging a swan to shore so she could take selfies with the bird. In the picture, she can be seen grappling a swan by the wing, while yanking it onto the Lake Ohrid shoreline in Macedonia. After getting her fill of pictures with the distressed swan, she abandoned it there on the beach. The picture drew criticism on the internet after it went viral.
In America, a veterinarian trying to pose as some badass posted a photo of herself with an arrow driven through the head of a feral cat. She posted the picture to her social media pages with the caption “The only good feral cat is one with an arrow through its head.” It turned out that the cat’s name was Tiger, and belonged to an elderly couple in the area. When word got out, the vet was fired from the Washington Animal Clinic.
In lion country, cubs are sometimes separated from their mothers and put in walking tours so that tourists can take selfies with them. When the lions mature, they are sold off to hunting facilities.
Sources include:
Source Article from http://www.naturalnews.com/053367_selfies_animals_selfishness.html
Related posts:
Views: 0