Tourists and animal lovers have been warned to leave wild animals alone after a wave of reports of people stopping to 'save' abandoned animals - or just taking a 'selfie' with them.

At least two seal pups have died in recent weeks in the US after people illegally picked up the animals on five occasions so far this summer, officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said.

A harbour seal pup in Washington, Seattle, had to be euthanised after a woman put a pup into a plastic carrier bag and took it home, thinking it had been abandoned or orphaned.

Realising she could not look after it, she called experts at Westport Aquarium to collect the creature - but by the time they arrived, the young seal was lethargic and unresponsive, and had become so ill they could not revive him.

Another couple, in Garibaldi, Oregon, wrapped what they too believed to be an abandoned pup in a towel and drove it home, where they gave it a shower.

They returned it to the beach the following day, but it died within hours.The couple received a written warning from the NOAA Fisheries department.

And in May, Canadian tourists put a baby bison in the back of their car, concerned that it looked cold. The calf was subsequently rejected by its herd and died.

It comes after a young endangered dolphin died after being lifted from the sea and passed around by selfie-hungry tourists in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in February.

A beach-goer in Florida was also caught on camera pulling a baby shark from the water and pinning it down to pose for pictures.

Kristin Wilkinson, a NOAA Fisheries regional stranding coordinator, said they normally deal with between six and 10 illegal handling cases a year - but this year the number has spiked.

Dr Jeff Boehm, executive director of The Marine Mammal Center in Northern California, said 18 marine mammals have already been brought to his centre so far this year due to being harassed or illegally picked up.

Most have been able to be released back into the wild after being treated, but three have died.

The NOAA has now launched a campaign called "Share the Shore" to remind beachgoers to leave marine mammals alone.