A photographer made a shocking discovery on a Dublin beach this week after finding the body of a stranded common dolphin covered in graffiti.
The Instagram account Myviewofireland posted the upsetting images to their story with the caption "how f*****g low can people actually stoop to, absolute scumbags!".
The admin of the account told Dublin Live that they went out to see the lunar eclipse at Poolbeg on Monday and happened upon the dolphin's body.
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He said: "I didn’t think it was a dolphin but I went and had a look. I was surprised to actually see it. It was only when I went around the side of it that I saw all the graffiti all over him."
The photographer added that he was "sickened" by the sight of the vandalised dolphin's body.
He said: "It's absolutely disgraceful and disgusting."
Meanwhile, Ocean Research & Conservation Association (ORCA Ireland), a voluntary group dedicated to monitoring dolphins and, whales said it was shocked over the discovery.
They said that it is illegal to tamper with dead marine mammals.
A spokeswoman told Dublin Live: "This is a wildlife crime and we would like to highlight how it is illegal to tamper with dead marine mammals. This shows a total lack of respect, the lowest end of human society and how we treat wildlife and nature."
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Meanwhile, they are also urging members of the public to report to them if they discover any dolphins or whales washed up on beaches.
They also warned against touching deceased dolphins and whales as marine mammals may hold pathogens that are harmful to people and pets.
"Strandings provide an important insight into at sea mortality of marine mammals, and can be analysed to determine the cause of death and take samples for long-term monitoring, so it is imperative that animals that wash ashore are not tampered with and are recorded correctly in the @ObserversApp.
"Just fill out a 2 minute stranding report and upload your images to the Observers App and you can help ORCA Ireland Marine Mammal Stranding Responders to map marine wildlife in Ireland."
Dublin City Council have confirmed that the deceased dolphin has now been removed.
They said: "Our District Parks Officer was also notified. The carcass has now been removed for responsible disposal by DCC staff."
Read more: Dead dolphin found on Dublin beach
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