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Activists in Venice are campaigning to save a dolphin spotted in the lagoon over fears growing tourist interest could put its life at risk.
Known as Mimmo, the bottlenose dolphin made its latest appearance in St Mark’s basin, the body of water in front of the square of the same name, on Wednesday.
The dolphin has been entertaining tourists and residents with its acrobatic leaps, but animal and environment activists fear it could be killed by the propellers of boats that crisscross the busy lagoon.
Mimmo was first seen by Manuel Tiffi, a water-taxi driver, on 23 June. He told Corriere della Sera in October that the dolphin often swam “right in front of the bow”. Tiffi said that taxi drivers report sightings in order to warn people to be careful. “But the animal seems to have no fear,” he added.
Others, however, have been less cautious, with some allegedly throwing balls at Mimmo or chasing the animal in their boats. Selfie tours have also been organised.
“This animal is not a tourist attraction, it is a wild animal that needs to be brought to a healthier environment,” said Cristina Romieri, who began the ‘Save the dolphin’ campaign.
Romieri says that that while a dolphin can survive in the lagoon, St Mark’s basin is another matter because it is where “water taxis, steamers and everything else pass”.
Experts at Cert, an emergency response team for stranded marine animals affiliated with the University of Padova, and coastguard personnel have been monitoring the dolphin and are trying to assist its return to the open sea. The coastguard has warned skippers to maintain a distance of at least 50 metres if they see the animal.
Bottlenoses are the most common species of dolphin in Italian waters and although they usually move around in pods, in recent years there have been several cases of solitary dolphins in the Adriatic.
“They are the classic dolphins that follow fishermen in the northern Adriatic,” said Guido Pietroluongo, a researcher at Cert. “It is likely that these animals, following their prey, detach themselves from the group and find themselves in environments where there is the presence of human activity.
“The parameters of the lagoon are very similar to those of the sea, in addition to the fact that the lagoon is full of fish. So this animal is in the lagoon because it eats, otherwise it would have died after a week.”
Pietroluongo said it was normal for dolphins to wander around and from what the experts have understood about Mimmo so far, the animal is a skilful navigator. “The important thing is not to disturb it,” he added. “If you see a lion in the middle of St Mark’s Square, nobody would ever dream of going up to it and giving it a hug. Same with a dolphin – everyone sees it as a friend, but it is a wild animal.”
