In June 2025, a young bottlenose dolphin was spotted in the busy Venice Lagoon, and over the following months seemed to prefer waters adjacent to San Marco Square. As is often the case with solitary dolphins in coastal areas, it wasn’t long before its presence attracted increasing attention, which, in turn, resulted in significant media interest and, unfortunately, inappropriate behaviour by both commercial and recreational vessel operators.
Since arriving, local researchers, have been documenting its movements and recently published an article in Frontiers in Ethology detailing their monitoring activities and highlighting the need to manage human behaviour to ensure Mimmo’s welfare, however the dolphin continues to appear to be in good nutritional condition, exhibiting regular behaviour and swimming patterns, as well as active feeding.
Liz Sandeman, who leads Marine Connection’s Solitary Sociable Dolphin Project, commented “When a solitary dolphin appears in an area, it is humans who need to be managed, not the cetacean itself. Most dolphins are highly social animals that live in pods with others of their species. However, some individuals—such as Mimmo—become solitary for reasons that remain unclear and with the peak tourist season approaching in Venice, this raises significant concerns. In mid-November 2025, Mimmo sustained injuries to the dorsal fin and body. Although the wounds were superficial, there is concern that the dolphin may not be so fortunate if similar incidents occur again.”
The monitoring of Mimmo continues.
