Authorities in south China’s Guangdong Province are looking for a tourist who reportedly took a dolphin away from a local beach.
Video footage of a man carrying the animal on his shoulder on the beach of Hailing Island, a tourist destination, appeared on microblogging site Sina Weibo this week.
The fishery administration confirmed the authenticity of the video and contacted local police to help find the whereabouts of the tourist.
According to local law enforcement officers, the dolphin look-alike could have died after being stranded on the beach. The animal, about 120 cm long and 15 kg in weight, had scars on its body. The tourist took it away amid a crowd of passers-by.
Local fishermen said that the “dolphin” could be a baby false killer whale, a Class-II protected species in China.
In Chinese law, anyone who discovers the body of a wild animal should report the matter to authorities rather than taking it.
