Footage from Ceuta has sparked outrage after the animal was allegedly pulled from the sea and killed
Published 4 Sep, 2026 12:49
FILE PHOTO. Baby bottlenose dolphin. © Getty Images / Wild Horizons/Universal Images Group
A group of migrants in the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta have been accused of pulling a baby dolphin from the sea and beating it to death, after disturbing footage sparked outrage online.
The bottlenose dolphin calf was spotted swimming close to the shore at El Trampolin beach on Wednesday before several men dragged it from the water, according to local newspaper El Faro de Ceuta. One of them allegedly struck the animal in the head with a stick, leaving it mortally wounded.
A beach worker reportedly confronted the group and told them not to touch the dolphin and to call wildlife services. They then tried to return it to the sea, but the animal appeared already dead.
Ceuta-based blogger Juan Ruiz filmed members of the group raising the dolphin like a trophy as he approached them. “You can’t take that, it’s a dolphin, you don’t eat that!” he shouted, before demanding to know who had killed it.
When people in the group apparently claimed the animal had already been dead in the water, Ruiz responded sarcastically: “Yeah, it died in the water on its own, right.”
Local environmental group DAUBMA has filed a complaint with Spanish law enforcement, demanding the authorities investigate the incident and identify those involved.
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The footage triggered widespread anger on Spanish social media, with users calling for those involved to be prosecuted and expelled from the country. The reaction has fed into broader anti-immigrant sentiment in Ceuta, where residents have already marched demanding deportations and chanting “Out with the invaders.”
Ceuta has been gripped by chaos since an unprecedented migrant influx from neighboring Morocco in late July, when around 72,000 people crossed into the tiny Spanish territory.
Thousands remain, many living in makeshift camps, on beaches, and in the streets. Local authorities have struggled with overcrowding, sanitation problems, and disease outbreaks, while police have investigated numerous violent and sexual crimes during the crisis.
Residents have repeatedly protested, demanding faster deportations and tougher action from Madrid. Last month, locals tore down migrant shelters at El Trampolin as police intervened to keep the groups apart.
