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Federal authorities investigating death of tourist entertainment dolphins inside Riviera Maya hotel

Riviera Maya, Q.R. — Federal authorities are investigating the death of two tourist entertainment dolphins inside a Riviera Maya hotel. One of the dolphins reportedly died at the hotel facility. The other is reported to have died after being transferred to another facility from the hotel.

The Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) said their investigation continues into the deaths of the two mammals.

“On January 24, Profepa requested the submission of the documentation with which the Dolphinaris Barceló dolphinarium, located at the Barceló Hotel, notified the Directorate General of Wildlife (DGVS) about the death of the dolphin named Plata,” the Procuraduría Federal de Protección al Ambiente (Profepa) said in a press release.

Profepa personnel also requested documentation “and the authorization letter for the transfer of the dolphin named Alex and, if applicable, the notification to the same authority about his death. The deadline for submitting this information ended on January 31, 2025,” they said.

Federal authorities investigating death of tourist entertainment dolphin inside Riviera Maya hotel

“In addition to the specific request regarding the dolphins Alex and Plata, Profepa is requesting various information from the General Directorate of Wildlife of Semarnat to analyze, together with the information provided by the company, the registration as a Property or Facility that Manages Wildlife of Dolphinaris Barceló (owned by the company TAGEPA SAPI DE CV).”

They are also investigating “the approved and updated Management Plan, the annual reports from 2018 to 2024, the inventory of wildlife specimens housed at the site during the years 2018 to 2024, the additions and removals of the specimens including medical opinions and legal necropsies performed between 2018 and 2024, the authorization to transfer the male bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops aduncus, named Alex and Plata from the PIMVS Dolphinaris Barceló to another one, among others.”

Mariana Boy Tamborrell from Profepa says they are making the request due to the fact that any facility or property authorized to handle wildlife must comply with a series of obligations that guarantee good management of the specimens, which includes presenting very detailed information on births, deaths, medical opinions, among others, not only to ensure the good management of the specimens, but also to prevent opening the door to illegal trafficking of species.

“With the documentation that is gathered, this Office will be able to verify that there is legal appropriation of the specimens that it currently has, that there is consistency between what is stated in the management plan and the reported losses and the traceability of the transfers and, with this, determine if there are violations, in order to impose the corresponding sanctions,” she reported.

The request by fedeal authorities was made in January after allegations of two dolphin deaths inside the hotel not being reported.

Playa del Carmen Mayor Estefanía Mercado also released an official statement on the recent death of the mammal inside the Riviera Maya hotel.

“In light of the events surrounding the death of a dolphin at the Barceló Riviera Maya Hotel, we inform you that our Ministry of the Environment is in communication with state and federal authorities, who have taken over the investigation.

“From the Government of Solidaridad, we reaffirm our commitment to animal protection and will work on proposals to strengthen regulations that guarantee their well-being because the right to human enjoyment should never cost the life of a living being.”

The investigation is ongoing.