The Mexican Senate has unanimously approved a nationwide ban on dolphin and other marine mammal shows, culminating a three-year legislative effort sparked by public outrage over animal welfare violations.
The 99-0 vote on Monday amended the General Wildlife Law to prohibit “extractive exploitation” of marine mammals, except for verified scientific research.
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— Empty The Tanks (@Empty_the_Tanks) July 28, 2021
“The research must be conducted or endorsed by an officially registered academic or research institution and have a protocol authorized” by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), reads the amendment accepted by the legislators.
Resistance by operators of dolphinariums — deemed “prisons” in an article in Mexico News Daily — had delayed the implementation of a 2022 modification to the General Wildlife Law prohibiting the use of dolphins, seals and other marine animals in entertainment shows or hands-on activities with tourists.
President Claudia Sheinbaum personally prioritized the new legislation during a special session of Congress, calling it essential to prevent animal abuse.
The session, which began Monday and is slated to run through July 2, was convened to address a set of urgent or pending legislative matters — in this case, more than 20 pending laws and reforms.
“We are against any violence, but animal abuse in particular is a reflection of what could later escalate in terms of violence,” Sheinbaum stated.
The newly amended law has been dubbed the “Mincho Law” after a dolphin who was severely injured during a performance at the Barceló Maya Grand Resort in the state of Quintana Roo.
What led up to the vote to ban dolphin shows
The legislative breakthrough — which also bans captive breeding except for reintroduction programs — follows intensified enforcement actions against violators, after months of lax implementation following the Chamber of Deputies’ initial 2022 approval.
Profepa shuts down dolphin show at Hotel Barceló in Riviera Maya
In March, Mexico’s Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) suspended shows at the Barceló Maya after the emergence earlier this year of a 2020 video of a leaping Mincho landing hard on concrete, and amid reports of the deaths of two other dolphins, Alex and Plata, last year.
At that time, Profepa issued a press release noting that it “will begin conducting inspections at all dolphinariums in the country to ensure the dignified treatment of the animals they house.”
By the middle of May, Profepa had permanently closed Dolphinaris Barceló and fined the company more than 7.5 million pesos (US $395,000), according to the Riviera Maya News. The newspaper also reported that Mincho survived and still has adequate mobility, but at age 35, he is the oldest dolphin at his new dolphinarium and “he suffers from chronic keratitis in both eyes,” with 60% vision in his right eye and 0% in his left.
The Mincho incident sparked outrage and calls for the closure of dolphinariums across Mexico, where there are approximately 30 facilities, according to the newspaper El País. Most are located in Quintana Roo, but there are others in Guerrero, Veracruz, Baja California Sur, Nayarit and Mexico City.
The new law mandates humane lifetime care for existing captive mammals and imposes significant fines for noncompliance.
Environment officials affirmed enforcement commitments during a June 18 meeting with Empty the Tanks activists, pledging permit reviews across all captive wildlife facilities.
Mexico houses approximately 350 captive dolphins, ranking among the world’s top 10 dolphinarium operators.
