Beachgoers in China are feeling the full wrath of environmental experts this week, following shocking photos which showed a group of swimmers lifting a dying dolphin out of the water for an impromptu photoshoot.

The snaps, which have been shared on multiple online outlets in the past 24 hours, were taken by shocked witnesses to the incident in Sayna, a tourist destination in the Hainan province.

Speaking to China Daily, lifeguard on the scene Chen Zhongcheng, said; "Many tourists came up and asked to touch the dolphin, and some lifted it up to take photos while we were trying to save it," "The dolphin was clearly in distress," Chen said. "It couldn't breathe freely, so we had to lift its blowhole clear of the water's surface every few minutes so it could get some air."

Pic via SHA XIAOFENG/CHINA DAILY

Zhongcheng was one of 10 lifeguards who arrived on the scene after tourists reported seeing a stranded dolphin on Sunday evening.

Experts from the Hainan Nanhai Aquatic Wildlife Rescue Center arrived to remove the dolphin from the beach just over two hours after the first reports, but the dolphin died from a collapsed lung a few hours later. .

Also speaking to China Daily, Wang Yamin, a professor of marine studies at Shandong University, Weihai, said: “They should face criminal charges. If not for them, the animal may have survived."