Chinese fishermen caught gutting and selling a BABY DOLPHIN on the street

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Shocking pictures have emerged showing Chinese fishermen gutting and selling what appears to be a dolphin on the street.

The animal has been identified by a marine expert as a baby Chinese White Dolphin, an endangered and first-class protected species in China often billed as 'the panda of the sea'.

The local fishery authority has questioned three suspects, who claimed that the animal had already been dead when it was found at sea. 

The two pictures, emerged on Chinese social media yesterday, show two men gutting and selling what appeared to be a dolphin. A marine expert confirmed to Chinese media that the animal was a baby Chinese White Dolphin

The pictures were uploaded by an account user on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent to Twitter, yesterday.  

They were said to be taken in Zhuhai, southern China's Guangdong Province, on the same day, according to the post. 

The account, named Zhuhai City Community, shares news and pictures from the city. It stated that the pictures had been taken and sent in by an eyewitness, who claimed the event took place in the city's Nanshui Town on the same day.

The post also urged other eyewitnesses to come forward and contact the Zhuhai Fishery Administration Bureau. 

According to Chinese newspaper The Paper, a marine expert confirmed that the animal in the picture was a baby Chinese White Dolphin. 

The Zhuhai Marine and Agricultural Bureau, the supervising body of the Zhuhai Fishery Administration, released a statement today in response to the claims. 

According to the statement, the Zhuhai Fishery Administration Bureau has identified three suspects who are fishermen from Feisha Village in Nanshui Town.

One of the suspects is surnamed Zhong and the other two are surnamed Cai. All of them were called into the police station for questioning at around 9pm yesterday.

Chinese White Dolphin is a first-class protected animal species in China, often billed as 'the panda of the sea'

According to Zhong, he went fishing on the morning of March 29 and saw 'a big fish' floating on the water. It had already been dead, claimed Zhong. 

Zhong brought the alleged animal body back to Feisha Village and started gutting it with the help of the two others.

The three threw away the parts that had gone rotten and put the other parts on sale in the village, according to Zhong, who also claimed that the three took home the meat which failed to sell at the end of the day.

It remains unclear how much they charged for the meat. 

The Zhuhai Fishery Administration Bureau have confiscated the remaining parts of the animal for examination. 

There are some 2,500 Chinese White Dolphins living in Pearl River Estuary, according to WWF

The Zhuhai Marine and Agricultural Bureau held a press conference regarding the case today. An initial investigation showed that the animal was a dolphin, according to the Bureau. 

The Bureau also said that they had commissioned the College of Marine Science at the Sun Yat-sen University to identify whether or not it was a Chinese White Dolphin. 

Chinese White Dolphins are listed as a first-class protected animal species in China. 

Known for their pink colouring and friendly nature, they inhabit in the Pearl River Estuary in southern China and their population is believed to be around 2,500, according to WWF. 

The selling, purchasing and hunting of wild animals are prohibited by China's Wild Animal Protection Law. 

Police are carrying out further investigation.