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A dolphin has died after jumping out of his tiny tank during a show at the\u00a0Barcel\u00f3 Riviera Maya\u00a0hotel in Mexico. The resort has long been criticized for keeping dolphins in extremely small enclosures.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n A\u00a0shocking video shows three dolphins jumping in the air during a performance when one of them crashes headfirst into a concrete bridge and falls lifeless into the water.<\/p>\n The dolphin, named\u00a0Plata, remained motionless after the accident as a trainer swam to check on him. Visitors, including children, were visibly horrified by the incident.<\/p>\n Animal rights organizations, including\u00a0Animal Heroes<\/a>, Dolphin Freedom,\u00a0Marea<\/a>, and\u00a0Oceanos De Vida Libre<\/a>, have repeatedly called for the closure of the\u00a0dolphinarium, describing it as one of the\u00a0smallest in Latin America.<\/p>\n According to activists, the concrete tank is\u00a0only two meters deep, offering the dolphins<\/a> no protection from the sun. The tank is also located just\u00a0meters from the ocean, making the captivity even more tragic.<\/p>\n Phil Demers, co-founder of\u00a0UrgentSeas<\/a>, strongly criticized the resort: \u201cDolphins are wide ranging, emotionally complex, social animals that live their entire natural lives in large family pods. To see them separated from family and forced to perform for food in the most unsustainable, tiny tank is just heart-breaking.\u201d<\/p>\n He also revealed that\u00a0another dolphin had recently died\u00a0at the facility and was quickly replaced.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa)\u00a0has launched an investigation into the management of dolphins at the\u00a0Dolphinaris Barcel\u00f3\u00a0facility. The agency has requested documentation proving compliance with wildlife regulations.<\/p>\n Profepa specifically asked the\u00a0Dolphinaris Barcel\u00f3<\/a>\u00a0dolphinarium, located at the hotel, to provide records regarding the deaths of dolphins\u00a0Plata\u00a0and\u00a0Alex.\u00a0<\/p>\n The facility must also submit\u00a0medical reports, necropsy results, and an updated inventory\u00a0of all dolphins kept between 2018 and 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe will verify the legal ownership of the dolphins, ensure consistency in reported deaths, and track animal transfers to determine if there are any violations. If we find irregularities, we will impose the necessary sanctions,\u201d Mariana Boy Tamborrell, head of Profepa, said in a\u00a0statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n Grupo Barcel\u00f3 is a Spanish multinational hotel and tourism company headquartered in\u00a0Spain. The family-owned business manages\u00a095 hotels in 16 countries. The company has 12 hotels in Mexico<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Animal Reader is an independent animal news platform based in the Netherlands. We share daily updates about animal-related issues.<\/em><\/p>\n Smallest dolphin tanks in Latin America<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Investigation launched<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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