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Selfie Stick Selfishness: Baby La Plata Dolphin Murdered By Argentine Tourists For Photo Op

By Zachary Volkert
Published on: 05:13 PST, Feb 18, 2016

The selfie stick has, for some, become a symbol of Millennial hyper-consumerism, but that’s nothing compared to a baby La Plata dolphin that was killed by tourists vying to upload his adorable face next to theirs on Instagram.

selfie stick La Plata dolphin murderers
The world wants to smack these people up the head with a selfie stick after they allowed an innocent La Plata dolphin to die. [Image via Facebook]
Beach-goers reportedly surrounded the baby La Plata dolphin after it rolled up on shore and decided it was time to whip out the selfie stick. A crowd of what appears to be around 30 people — including men, women and children — gathered to try to get a picture of the animal.

Argentina, which has the highest level of tourism in South America after Brazil, will have to shield itself from international uproar over the event. Local wildlife groups, like Vida Silvestre, which translates to Wild Life, have already started to use the moment to turn the selfie stick back on the lack of education about caring for endangered species. They posted a series of tips on what to do if you find a beached or dead La Plata dolphin.

Stick to selfies with humans after dolphin from La Plata dies
In the beach resort town of Santa Teresita about 350 km (217 miles) south of Argentina capital Buenos Aires, tourists allowed a La Plata dolphin to die in order for all of them to get their selfie. [Image via Google Maps]

Among the attempts to help selflessness stick with those who saw the video were both tips on what to do with a live or dead La Plata dolphin. First off, don’t crowd them — the animal starts to panic when too many people gather. Secondly, try to get two people to carry it back to the water as soon as possible. If it’s dead, try to make as many observations as possible for when experts arrive on the scene, but don’t move it out of place.

“If possible, take a picture of the fin to know the dolphin’s sex.”

Those who jumped on the moment with selfie sticks might be having a moment of shame for their actions. As the story broke on Wednesday in Argentina, locals tore into the foolishness of the individuals who allowed the tragic end to the dolphin’s life to take place. As the world took notice of the event Thursday, that reaction spread to global social media. To say the public was outraged might be an understatement — people wished everything from sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) to death on the dolphin killers.

The darling little La Plata dolphin is far from the first victim to suffer from people trying to get the perfect picture. Craning over cliffs and other dangerous spots with selfie sticks, a shocking number of people die every year caught in the act of documentation. Last year, Mashable released data noting that a total of 12 people had died while putting themselves in compromising positions for the sake of likes. For comparison, that was more than the number of people who died of shark attacks.

[Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images]

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