St. Augustine, Florida - A heartbreaking story took place recently in Florida, where beachgoers found a baby whale that had ingested plastic. Would they be able to save it?

Bystanders discovered what they thought was a dolphin calf injured on a stretch of beach in St. Augustine, Florida.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was immediately contacted to report the injured animal.

It later turned out that it was not a dolphin, but rather an emaciated dwarf sperm whale calf.

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In a video posted on Instagram, the organization St. Johns County Beach Services reports on the rescue of the young animal.

Employees and volunteers helped to pick up the whale from the beach and then transport it to a vet for examination.

Tragically, the animal had to be euthanized shortly afterward due to its poor health.

An autopsy subsequently revealed that there was "a large plastic bag in its main stomach with associated ulcers."

After the sad story became public, the aid organization Oceana spoke out to express their outrage.

"Plastic has not only been thrust onto us as a society, but it’s also been pushed onto our oceans and marine wildlife," an Oceana spokesperson told People. "There’s nothing natural about a plastic bag in a whale calf’s belly."

St. Johns County Beach Services also warned against carrying stranded marine animals back into the water by hand as such a rescue requires professional help and treatment.