According to American media, a dolphin calf died after a man from Florida pulled it out of the sea for a photo on Instagram.
This 19-year-old suspect has yet to be charged and claims that the dolphin was already dead when he found it under a bridge next to Nassau Sound.
The teenager, who remains unnamed, had previously shared posts referring to its death as an “accident,” and captioned the photo with “Once in a lifetime,” according to Daily Mail.
Marine biologists subsequently confirmed that the dolphin in the photograph was the same one found dead a few days later.
The posts have since been deleted, but they angered the public and even triggered a federal investigation led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Dr. Quincy Gibson from the University of North Florida's Dolphin Research Program told News4Jax.
“The shape of the fin, which is unique to each dolphin, matches the one in the photo where he is holding the calf.”
Gibson added that the photo taken by the teenager was most likely captured under the bridge, where the biologist later found the dead dolphin.
The controversial photo sparked a strong reaction online, and the teenager claims to have received death threats because of the post. He later apologized, stating that he did not catch the dolphin, but merely found it.
