In an act of human cruelty, a dolphin that was stranded on a beach in Texas in the United States died after several beachgoers harassed it and tried to take a ride on it. The incident reportedly took place on Sunday after a sick dolphin washed up ashore at the Quintana Beach in Texas where people attempted to swim the sea animal and pushed it back to sea.
The information about the horrific act was shared by a non-profit group Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network on Facebook that said that the dolphin was alive when it arrived at the shore and was "further harassed by a crowd of people on the beach where she later died before rescuers could arrive on the scene."
According to the social media post, beachgoers pushed the dolphin out to sea and tried to swim with and ride her.
"This type of harassment causes undue stress to wild dolphins, is dangerous for the people who interact with them, and is illegal," the group said in its post. It even mentioned that a beachgoer reported the animal to authorities, but she died before rescuers arrived.
Furthermore, making people aware, the non-profit group informed people not to push any such live animals back out to sea and rather call authorities to figure out how to save the animal and keep it stable.
"If a live dolphin or whale strands in Texas, please DO NOT PUSH the animal back to sea, do not attempt to swim or interact with them, do not crowd them," it said in the post.
America's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has directed people to maintain at least 150 feet of distance from such sea animals and not to feed or harass them.
Those found in violation could end up paying hefty fines or even imprisonment under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.