Five male bottlenose dolphins – Sol, Ninu, Cha, Rohan, and Luqa – remain held in artificial tanks and are used in commercial entertainment, including swim-with programmes, staged photo opportunities, and public performances. These activities require the dolphins to perform unnatural behaviours for paying audiences, compromising their physical and psychological welfare, and bearing no resemblance to how they live in the wild. However, Sol was captured from the wild in Cuban waters, depriving him of the chance to spend his life in the ocean where he belonged. Instead, more than 25 years ago, he became part of the marine park industry, living behind concrete walls rather than swimming freely in the open sea. Ninu, Cha, Rohan, and Luqa were born at Mediterraneo Marine Park.
Although the facility operates under a zoo licence, these performances appear to fall within the definition of a circus under Section 31C of Malta’s Animal Welfare Act, which prohibits the use of animals to perform tricks for public entertainment. Maltese authorities therefore have clear legal powers to investigate, revoke the park’s licence where appropriate, end these performances, and facilitate the dolphins’ transfer to more suitable environments, such as professionally managed sea pens or accredited seaside sanctuaries.
The authorities’ continued inaction is particularly troubling given the park’s history. Three dolphins previously housed at the facility died after suffering lead poisoning – a serious welfare failure that has been highlighted by Marine Connection. In addition, several of the surviving dolphins have reportedly shown elevated creatinine levels, raising ongoing concerns about potential long-term kidney damage associated with lead exposure. Previous concerns submitted to the former Veterinary Regulation Directorate were deemed “adequate,” despite the seriousness of the issues raised. Meanwhile, Costa Edutainment, the company reportedly still associated with the park’s management, has not taken meaningful action to address these welfare concerns.
The continued commercial exploitation of dolphins through circus-style performances is ethically indefensible and raises serious questions about compliance with Malta’s own animal welfare legislation. Laws designed to protect animals must be enforced consistently and effectively.
Marine Connection continues to call on the Maltese authorities to uphold and enforce the country’s animal welfare laws, end the use of dolphins in entertainment, and ensure these animals are relocated to environments that prioritise their long-term welfare.
