According to reports, the dolphin, which was still of breast-feeding age, had been separated from its mother when it found itself surrounded by shocked, Instagram-obsessed tourists wanting to grab a quick snap.
Ambushed, the infant dolphin was quickly passed around for photos before it was left to die on a beach in the Mojacar municipality, according to Equinac, an animal conservationist group.
Upset with the "selfish" tourists, the group condemned the unaware spectators, calling them ignorant and lacking empathy, respect and logic.
"Once again we find that human beings are the most irrational species that exist," the group wrote on their Facebook page. "Many are unable to feel empathy for a living being alone, scared, starving, without his mother and terrified because many of you, in your selfishness, only want to photograph and touch it, even if the animal suffers from stress."
Dolphins carry their young for a very long time, with gestation taking as long as 12 months in some species. Young dolphins can breastfeed for years.
Though the marine group was called just 15 minutes after the frenzy ensued, the dolphin was already dead by the time the officials arrived on the scene.
"Cetaceans are animals very susceptible to stress and… crowding them to take pictures and touch them causes them a very strong shock that greatly accelerates a cardiorespiratory failure, which is what finally happened," the rescue group added.
Equinac, infuriated, noted in their statement that disrupting a protected species of dolphin could be a criminal offense. The group added that they "would not hesitate for a second" to report anyone responsible for any similar offenses.
Within the last two years, three dolphins have died under the same circumstances, according to Conde Nast Traveler.
