International Dolphin NGO Reiterates Call To Shut Mediterraneo Park After Drone Footage Shows Dire Conditions

Drone footage showing dolphins circling in shallow, murky tanks under Malta’s blistering summer sun has reignited international calls for Mediterraneo Marine Park to be shut down, with animal welfare organisations describing the conditions as “cruel” and “inhumane”.

The footage, released this week by Dolphin Project, captures dolphins languishing in bare concrete pools with no access to shade, surrounded by crowds of paying tourists. The video prompted fresh criticism of the park’s operations and renewed demands for the Maltese authorities to revoke its zoo licence.

Dolphin Project, along with local NGO Animal Liberation Malta, has been campaigning for years to end the use of captive dolphins in the island’s only marine park. They argue that the dolphins are being used in shows that should qualify as circus acts, which have been banned in Malta since 2014.

“The dolphins are trapped in desolate concrete tombs 24/7, with nothing natural to explore, nothing meaningful to do, and nowhere to swim to,” the NGO said in a statement. It called for an immediate investigation and the relocation of the animals to more natural environments.

The park’s “Dolphin Lagoon” – a circular tank divided into three shallow compartments – offers no protection from the heat, despite temperatures often exceeding 30°C. Unlike dolphins in the wild, which can dive to cooler waters, those in captivity are left exposed. While the park has installed shading for tourists and audiences, there is no similar protection for the animals.

A second stadium, dubbed the “Dolphinarium”, is used for public shows. Only the small medical tank there offers any shade. The NGO described these setups as “concrete stadiums for circus-style tricks” dressed up as education.

Tickets to swim with or pet the dolphins are sold under names like “Dolphin Emotions Swim” and “Dolphin Shallow Experience”. Photos on the park’s website show customers stroking dolphins in the pools. The NGO argues these “experiences” are exploitative and do nothing to improve the animals’ welfare.

According to cetabase.org, at least 11 dolphins have died at Mediterraneo since it opened. Four were captured in the Black Sea, five in Cuba, and two were born in the park. In 2021, three female dolphins died within three weeks. An investigation by the Commissioner for Animal Welfare concluded that the most likely cause of death was lead poisoning.

The five remaining dolphins – Sol, Nino, Cha, Rohan and Luqa – are all male. Sol, the oldest, was captured off the coast of Cuba more than two decades ago. Two of the others are his offspring, born at the park between 2010 and 2019.

Activists argue that Mediterraneo continues to evade Malta’s 2014 circus ban by labelling itself as a zoo. In 2022, the park’s management defended its practices in a public statement, claiming the animals are not trained to perform tricks, but rather “to guarantee animal welfare” and encourage “natural behaviours”.

Dolphin Project has dismissed those claims as “absurd”, saying the tanks bear no resemblance to a natural habitat and offer no enrichment.

Animal Liberation Malta has called for a ban on dolphin imports and breeding, to prevent future generations from being raised in captivity for tourist entertainment.

“This is not education,” the group said. “It’s exploitation disguised as conservation.”

Have you been to the Mediterraneo park recently?