Six youths aged 17 to 21 have been given three months probation for tying a dead porpoise to the back of a car and riding around with it until the creature fell apart.

The youths, all from small Frisian towns, drove down the sea dyke along the edge of the Wadden Sea at Sexbierum, dragging the mammal behind them, on February 29.

The innards, including a fetus, fell out of the corpse and were left on the road.

The youths, who turned themselves over to police after the ensuing public outcry, have also been ordered to attend educational classes run by the SOS Dolfijn foundation, and donate €200 to its funds.

The youths told the magistrate they had not thought about the consequences of their actions properly. They said the head had fallen off the porpoise when they pulled its body out of the sea.