A stranded dolphin died on a Texas beach after people harassed and tried to ride it

• The Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network says a sick dolphin died after being harassed by beachgoers.
• The nonprofit said the dolphin was stranded, then stressed by beachgoers who tried to ride it.

A sick dolphin stranded on a beach in Texas died after beachgoers harassed it and tried to ride it.

This was according to an account by a nonprofit group, Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network, which made a Facebook post about the incident on Wednesday.

According to the group, the female dolphin was found stranded on Quintana Beach on Sunday evening but was still alive. However, the organization said beachgoers pushed the dolphin back out to sea, where some beachgoers tried to swim with and ride her.

"She ultimately stranded and was further harassed by a crowd of people on the beach where she later died before rescuers could arrive on the scene," read the group's Facebook post. "This type of harassment causes undue stress to wild dolphins, is dangerous for the people who interact with them, and is illegal - punishable by fines and jail time if convicted."

The network implored beachgoers not to push live dolphins or whales back out to sea and immediately call its hotline to find out how to save the animal and keep it stable.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's guidelines on marine life in distress, people who harass dolphins could be fined up to $11,000 and face a prison term of up to a year.

"It is illegal to feed or harass wild marine mammals including dolphins, porpoises, whales, seals, sea lions, and manatees," read the NOAA's guidelines. "For the health and well-being of these animals and for your safety, please do not feed, swim with, or harass these marine animals. We encourage you to observe them from a distance of at least 50 yards (150 feet)."

The NOAA also noted in July 2021 that it was getting increasingly concerned with what it said was a growing public interest in dolphins swimming off North Padre Island, Texas. In an article that month, the NOAA's office of law enforcement said that its personnel, in collaboration with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, would be stepping up patrols and investigating people that illegally interact with dolphins by harassing, feeding, or disturbing them.

This was after an incident when people tried to jump on, swim with, and pet a lone dolphin that was inhabiting the canals near North Padre Island.