A bottlenose dolphin calf was found dead at approximately midday on Wednesday on Trampolín beach in Ceuta, according to ‘El Faro de Ceuta.’ The Association for the Defence of Urban Trees, Biodiversity and the Environment (DAUBMA) believes the circumstances point to an attack and has since filed a formal complaint with the Guardia Civil, requesting that an investigation be opened to clarify the events.
According to the association, the animal reached the shore alive but disoriented, likely due to dense fog in the area that morning. Once on land, DAUBMA reports that several individuals dragged the calf out of the water and struck it on the head with a stick.
The organisation states that it possesses photographs, video footage, and social media screenshots showing blood beneath one of the animal’s eyes, as well as individuals attempting to wipe it away. In DAUBMA’s assessment, this evidence indicates a direct attack and the subsequent manipulation of the carcass, behaviour incompatible with any genuine attempt to assist the animal. All of this material has been submitted to the Guardia Civil.
Verified Video Circulates Online, Perpetrators Unidentified
The footage, initially shared on social media, was recorded in the section of the beach where individuals who crossed into Ceuta during the mass migration of 30 and 31 July remain camped.
A worker from the cleaning company Ecoservicios, who was present in the area, witnessed the scene and urged those involved to cease their actions and contact an environmental collection service.
Following the warning, witnesses state that attempts were made to return the animal to the sea, although it had already shown no signs of life. To date, no formal identification of those responsible has been made, which is precisely the outcome DAUBMA seeks through its complaint to the Guardia Civil.
The incident has generated significant public outrage. Local resident Nadia García Gómez has launched a petition on change.org demanding that those responsible be identified and held accountable.
García Gómez has emphasised that she is not affiliated with any organisation and advocates for a firm response to animal abuse. “This cruel act must be tried and punished,” she stated online, urging the authorities “to do something about it.” The petition highlights that the bottlenose dolphin is a strictly protected species in the European Union, and that injuring or killing an individual may constitute a criminal offence.
DAUBMA and CECAM Address Criticism
In response to criticism questioning the absence of animal rights organisations when deceased wildlife is discovered in Ceuta, DAUBMA and CECAM have clarified that their work centres on documenting cases and forwarding them to relevant institutions, while lamenting the lack of follow-up action.
They report that more than three months ago, they submitted a comprehensive dossier to the Government Delegation concerning other cases of deceased or injured animals, including dolphins and turtles exhibiting signs consistent with entanglement in drift nets, which are prohibited within the European Union. To date, they have received no response.
The organisations further note that an initial attempt to file a complaint with Seprona was not processed. As a result, they escalated the matter to the duty court, accompanied by technical evidence and graphic material. According to their account, the court ordered the case to be provisionally closed pending a Seprona report that has yet to be issued.
Both organisations confirm that they maintain coordination with emergency services, the Guardia Civil, Semar, and waste collection companies. They are calling on the authorities to ensure that wildlife protection commitments translate into tangible action rather than remaining empty rhetoric.
