The quest for a cute animal selfie has ended tragically, after a crowd of tourists blindly manhandled a tiny dolphin to death.

Key points: Two dolphins pulled out of water so beachgoers could take photos

Two dolphins pulled out of water so beachgoers could take photos One died after being mishandled by large crowd

One died after being mishandled by large crowd The Franciscana dolphin is one of the smallest in the world

An Argentine environmental organisation has confirmed a dolphin died after being mishandled by a large crowd of beachgoers in Buenos Aires.

A Franciscana dolphin, one of the smallest dolphins in the world, was picked out of the ocean and paraded around by a man, so camera-wielding tourists could take a closer look at the helpless animal.

The incident occurred last week at a Buenos Aires resort, where two dolphins were reportedly yanked out of the ocean.

"At least one of the animals died," a statement from the Argentine Wildlife Foundation said.

A spokeswoman for Australia's arm of World Animal Protection condemned the behaviour of the beachgoers who "used the animals for entertainment purposes".

"This terribly unfortunate event is an example of the casual cruelty people can inflict when they use animals for entertainment purposes, without thinking of the animal's needs," she told the ABC.

"At least one of these dolphins suffered a horrific, traumatic and utterly unnecessary death, for the sake of a few photographs.

"Wild animals are not toys or photo props. They should be appreciated — and left alone — in the wild where they belong."

Pictures taken by onlooker Hernan Coria showed an eager crowd clamouring to take photos and touch the tiny dolphin.

But, like other dolphins, Franciscanas cannot remain out of water for long.

"They have very thick and greasy skin that provides warmth, so the weather will quickly cause dehydration and death," the foundation said.

Franciscana dolphins are usually found in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, and are vulnerable to extinction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

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