These images show how Argentine locals defy officials that warned of the risk of disease by climbing on top of a dead humpback whale, even posing inside its mouth for snaps after it washed up on a beach.

The incident was filmed in the city of Comodoro Rivadavia in the Argentine province of Chubut last week.

According to the news site Cronica, the young humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) washed up on a local beach and died soon afterwards. During the incident, residents flooded to the area to take snaps with its rotting corpse.

In the images, some locals are seen sitting on top of the whale and one young man even got inside its mouth to pose for snaps.

Local media said young children were also seen jumping on the large mammal’s dead body.

As well as demonstrating a lack of respect for the animal, the authorities pointed out that they also failed to adhere to health guidelines, as decomposing bodies can cause infection or other health concerns.

The Directorate of Wild Fauna and Flora in Chubut Province said in a statement that local residents should “not approach the specimen or touch it, given the danger it poses as a source of infection and disease for human health”.

The statement added that it was a juvenile humpback whale and that anyone wishing to observe the body before it was removed from the beach should do so “at a safe distance of 50 metres”.

Despite the warning, social media was awash with images of people climbing the corpse, touching it, and even getting inside its mouth.