Baby dolphin dies after it was passed around for selfies

Madrid: A Spanish environmental group has called on beachgoers to refrain from crowding around, touching or taking photos of stray sea animals following the death of a baby dolphin last week.

Images on Spanish media and social networks showed adults and children touching the small, female dolphin in the sea in the southeastern town of Mojacar.

Equinac, a nonprofit organization that works to protect marine animals in the southern province of Almeria, said that the dolphin died on Aug. 11 before its experts could try to save it.

The group said on its Facebook account that cetaceans were very susceptible to stress and crowding around them to take photographs or touch them can cause great shock and may lead to death.

Further comment from Equinac wasn't immediately possible Thursday.