Mincho’s final jump ended tragically as the performing bottlenose dolphin crash-landed headfirst on the concrete edge of a pool at the Barceló Maya Grand Resort hotel on Mexico’s Mayan Riviera. Video of the accident, taken by an anonymous tourist, went viral in February. Though the exact date has not been determined, the Canadian marine-animal advocacy group UrgentSeas says the video was shot in January. It wasn’t the first such incident at the resort, animal-rights advocates say. In 2019 and 2020, two dolphins died there as a result of injuries sustained from sharing cramped installations with incompatible dolphins, they claim. Only when video of Mincho’s accident went viral did Mexican authorities take action. The Federal Environmental Protection Attorney’s Office (Profepa) opened an investigation of the dolphinarium, which it says was operating without permits. The agency has not stated whether the dolphin died, though many experts think it must... [Log in to read more]