Mediterraneo has long faced criticism from animal welfare advocates and concerned citizens, with repeated calls to revoke its zoo licence. Petitions have been launched, protests held, and international campaigns organised against what activists describe as “captivity.”

The park says its dolphin enclosures meet international welfare standards and denies that the animals show signs of behavioural abnormality or psychological distress.

A particularly intense wave of scrutiny followed the 2021 deaths of three dolphins from lead poisoning. The interview with Sam was recorded the following year.

“When I first heard about the three dolphin deaths, it ignited some emotions inside me, and it made me think about how many things in the park were not right. It was a shock to hear that news,” Sam said.

He described witnessing several behaviours he describes as abnormal, including dolphins suddenly swimming at high speeds in repeated bursts, remaining motionless in a confined section of the tank, and banging their heads against the tank partition.

Sam believes that the dolphins’ behaviour reflected the toll of captivity on their mental and physical well-being, claiming that conditions at the park suppress their natural instincts and intelligence.

The park argued that strange behaviour does not occur and that swimming at high speeds is a normal behaviour that occurs during summer due to hormonal shifts. It further stated that if dolphins were seen banging their heads on the gates of the holdings, it was due to the social relationships the dolphins share.

Sam added that the tanks were too small for such highly social animals, and that during the summer months, the water became so warm that ice cubes were added to help regulate the dolphins’ body temperature. The park said that feeding the dolphins is standard practice in summer and winter for hydration purposes.

According to Sam, the dolphins were sometimes kept apart for extended periods despite them being social animals. “I think they were sad. They showed signs of unhappiness. I think if you spend most of your day doing nothing, you lose your motivation, surely,” he said.

Mediterraneo denied this, insisting that its two younger dolphins are kept together at the Dolphinarium while the three adult dolphins are housed together at the Lagoon. It added that physical, but not visual, separation occurs in cases of medical intervention.

Sam also argued that capturing dolphins from the wild or keeping them in confined environments can significantly alter their behaviour. Mediterraneo Marine Park currently hosts five male dolphins, four of which were born at the park. The fifth was imported to Malta 19 years ago. According to a fact sheet prepared by the park, it was the last dolphin in Europe to be imported after being captured in the wild.

The park said that no dolphins are currently captured from the wild, as this practice is now illegal. It noted that its dolphins are part of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) Ex Situ Programmes, and that decisions related to their care are coordinated with EAZA’s committee for global population management.

As for training practices and claims about withholding of food, the park said that feeding takes place throughout the day, during both training and enrichment sessions, with a variety of fish and squid offered to maintain a natural and stimulating diet.

It also said that educational and interactive sessions are designed to be enriching, and that the dolphins are free to exhibit natural behaviours and socialise before, after, and even during performances. Authorities conduct regular inspections to monitor animal welfare, water quality, and daily operations.

Moreover, Mediterraneo insisted that over the last few years, it has changed its dolphin displays to focus on educational performances based mainly on natural movements as part of a worldwide trend to reduce entertaining practices and enhance dolphins’ wellbeing. It ultimately argued that closing European dolphinariums will put dolphins in establishments that do not need to adhere to European standards, potentially putting them in a negative environment.