Dolphin stranded on Texas beach dies after crowd tries to ride the animal, rescuers say

Authored by nbcnews.com and submitted by technologypartners11
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A dolphin stranded on a Texas beach died after a crowd of people "harassed" the animal and tried to ride it, rescue officials said.

The female dolphin washed up on Quintana Beach Sunday evening and was reportedly pushed back to sea while beachgoers tried to "swim with and ride the sick animal," the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network said in a Facebook post.

"She ultimately stranded and was further harassed by a crowd of people on the beach where she later died before rescuers could arrive on scene," the organization said.

Harassing stranded sea animals causes stress and can also be dangerous for the people who interact with them, but it is also illegal, rescue officials said in the post.

Violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act could lead to civil penalties of up to $11,000 and up to a year in prison.

"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," the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network said.

Ultimately, a person at the beach called Quintana Beach County Park for assistance. The park called the incident a "tragedy."

willubemyfriendo on April 15th, 2022 at 15:45 UTC »

“Violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act could lead to civil penalties of up to $11,000 and up to a year in prison.”

Light em up.

Benlnut on April 15th, 2022 at 15:18 UTC »

There is a river populated with Kokanee salmon near me. In the fall they turn red and run up the river to lay their eggs. Instagram made it popular. Last year we saw people wading in the river and catching the tired dying fish despite the dozens of signs saying to stay out of the river and don’t touch the fish. The ignorance is astounding

Love_My_Chevy on April 15th, 2022 at 14:33 UTC »

What the actual fuck!? That poor poor thing...

What the hell happened to people trying to rescue beached marine life? It must have been in pain and so scared... People really make me sick...