A video from Ceuta, Spain’s North African enclave, has sparked public anger after migrants were seen striking a young dolphin during what appeared to be a beachside celebration.
Footage shared widely online appears to show a group of men and boys raising what looked like a baby bottlenose dolphin above their heads while a crowd nearby cheered and shouted.
The dolphin had reportedly swum close to the shoreline before several men allegedly dragged it from the water at El Trampolin beach.
The scene quickly drew the attention of local residents, some of whom appeared to confront the group and attempt to stop what was happening.
Video appearing to show migrants in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta holding a dolphin that reportedly died after being beaten has angered locals. (Getty Images)
According to reports, one man hit the dolphin with a stick, causing injuries believed to have been fatal. In the video, some bystanders can be heard yelling “no,” while others cheer; several people appear visibly alarmed by the treatment of the marine animal.
The dolphin was eventually taken from the crowd and returned to the sea, but the incident has since triggered widespread outrage across Ceuta.
“On Wednesday, September 2, 2026, a disoriented dolphin calf swimming near the shore at Trampolin Beach, in Ceuta, was brutally pulled from the water,” Nadia Garcia Gomez wrote on social media while promoting a petition calling for the arrest of those involved.
“Eyewitnesses and local media reported that the animal was handled as if it were an object and violently struck on the head with a stick, causing its immediate death.”
Gomez called the migrants’ actions an act of “extreme and unjustifiable cruelty” that cannot go unpunished. She noted that dolphins are a protected species under Spanish and European laws.
Migrants from Morocco pour into Spain’s North African enclave Ceuta on July 30, 2026. (Reuters)
Other Ceuta residents have called for the migrants involved to be prosecuted and expelled from the country.
Ceuta has been gripped by an influx of migrants from neighboring Morocco. In July, more than 70,000 migrants stormed the tiny enclave’s border defenses. Although most of the migrants returned home shortly afterward, thousands have remained.
Some residents have called for deportations and tougher action from the central government in Madrid. Last week, angry locals tore down migrant tents and shelters at the beach.
