As part of its ongoing campaign, Marine Connection continues to monitor the five dolphins held at Mediterraneo Marine Park in Malta. In 2025, following sustained pressure from Marine Connection and support from our members, the Maltese Government agreed to commission an on-site assessment at the facility. This assessment, conducted in September, identified multiple negative indicators and serious animal welfare concerns – many classified as high to medium priority. Months later, not only do these critical issues remain unresolved, but conditions have also worsened.
Basic maintenance around the dolphin enclosures is visibly neglected. Concrete surfaces are deteriorating, with exposed materials posing an ongoing risk to the animals. Recent footage paints an even more troubling picture: pool water so murky that the dolphins are barely visible. This is not a minor oversight – it raises serious concerns about water quality management and overall husbandry standards, both of which were explicitly highlighted in the assessment summary. While a full report was completed, authorities have refused to release it. A transparent, public review of conditions at Mediterraneo Marine Park is urgently needed.
The lack of adequate shade in the Dolphin Lagoon – used for dolphin swim programmes and already flagged as a priority concern – remains unaddressed. Three dolphins remain in this exposed area. More alarmingly, the shade structure that once covered the medical pool has now been completely removed, leaving the two dolphins with even less protection.
Adequate shade provision was identified as a medium-term priority. There has been no meaningful progress. This is not a delay; it is a failure to act on known and documented welfare risks, and it is indefeasible.
Your support is critical – help us demand immediate, decisive action now! These dolphins cannot cry out. That’s why your voice matters.
Please urgently add your name to our letter to the Minister for Animal Rights, the Parliamentary Secretary for Animal Welfare, and the Director of the Animal Welfare Directorate.
