The show ended in tragedy when the featured dolphin leaped to her death. Tourists at the Barceló Maya Grand Resort in Mexico were attending a performance featuring Plata, a captive dolphin, and others in her pod. During her usual routine, Plata jumped out of the water and landed on solid concrete. The audience’s confusion turned to horror when they realized her injuries were fatal.
A shocking and sudden death
The viral video showed three captive dolphins leaping out of the water in synchronization. However, Plata seemed to miscalculate her jump, and fell headfirst onto the bridge in the middle of the tank. She lay motionless as trainers rushed to help her. When this shocking incident spread online, viewers filled the resort’s social media pages with terrible reviews. They called for the end of the animal shows.
Marine mammal activist Phil Demers told Yahoo News that the clip left him in “absolute shock.” He added, “This particular incident is one of the worst. It really, truly is. Even if it survived, its health is going to be severely compromised. It’s completely inexcusable, it’s something that never would happen in the wild. It just eliminates any rationale they should exist in these concrete tanks.”
One of the smallest enclosures
This isn’t the first time the Barceló Maya Grand Resort received backlash over dolphin treatment. In January, drone footage showed the length of the dual dolphin tanks, which are only a few meters from the ocean. Animal welfare activists likened the enclosures to prison, especially since they are among the smallest dolphin pools in Latin America.
Demers had previously lambasted the tanks as well. “Dolphins are wide ranging, emotionally complex, social animals that live their entire natural lives in large family pods,” he said to the Sun. “To see them separated from family and forced to perform for food in the most unsustainable, tiny tank is just heart-breaking. The dimensions of the tank offer no reprieve from the sun and the fact that it’s a mere few meters from the ocean makes this entire situation more gut wrenching. Imagine seeing and smelling the ocean, a.k.a. freedom, while simultaneously being treated like jailed criminal. Shame on Hotel Barcelo. The dolphins deserve better.” He also revealed that another dolphin, Alex, had recently died in the same premises as Plata.
Read More: World’s Loneliest Dolphin Dies After Two Years In Tiny Pool
Dolphins are wild animals, not entertainers
This incident is a gritty reminder of the bleak life of performing dolphins, orcas, and the like. Dolphins are famous for being intelligent and social beings who flourish in open water. Restricting them to artificial enclosures and forcing them to perform stunts unnatural to them can cause physical and emotional damage. As a result many suffer from chronic health issues as well as extreme stress, just like Plata.
“This horrific turn of events exposes the grim reality of dolphin shows, where these highly intelligent mammals can literally perform themselves to death,” said Suzanne Milthorpe, Head of Campaigns at World Animal Protection Australia. “These shows don’t provide the educational experience you may think. The dolphins perform in an unnatural setting, forced to jump at heights through rigorous training. Dolphin entertainment venues are sentencing intelligent, long-lived animals to a lifetime of misery in tiny, chlorinated pools, a world away from their lives in the ocean.”
Investigating the dolphins’ deaths
Since the tragedy, the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) launched an investigation into the management at the Dolphinaris Barceló facility. The agents requested documentation that proves compliance with wildlife regulations, as well as all records regarding Plata and Alex. Additionally, the facility is required to surrender an updated inventory of all of the dolphins under their care from 2018 to 2024, including their medical and necropsy reports. “We will verify the legal ownership of the dolphins, ensure consistency in reported deaths, and track animal transfers to determine if there are any violations,” Mariana Boy Tamborrell, head of Profepa, said in a translated statement. “If we find irregularities, we will impose the necessary sanctions.
Don’t support dolphin shows
A pod of wild dolphins can travel up to 100 kilometers a day in the ocean. Pods are often made of tight family units that help each other thrive. Compare this scenario to the tiny, sterile, and under-stimulating enclosures, where dolphins need regular medication to treat ailments such as ulcers and depression, according to the Dolphin Project. They are withheld food until they learn to follow their trainers’ wishes and are kept hungry to keep them in check during training and performances.
Although public opinion is slowly turning against captive animal performances, dolphins are still exploited all over the world in aquariums, marine parks, and resorts like the Barceló Maya Grand Resort. The shows are advertised to be family-friendly and educational, and visitors are drawn to see these magnificent creatures. However, activists are trying to raise awareness of what truly goes on behind the scenes. Similarly, they call upon these tourist attractions to stop the shows and release their animals into protected sanctuaries.
Read More: Dolphins Bring “Gifts” From the Sea to the Shores Because They Miss Their Human Visitors