Is This the End of Dolphin Shows in Mexico? President Signs New Law

A new law in Mexico is making a big splash for dolphins! The new law bans the breeding of dolphins for anything other than conservation. It also states that no new marine mammals will be allowed to live in concrete tanks or be forced to perform at dolphinariums.

The dolphinarium ban is a historic step for Mexico and is making waves for the hundreds of dolphins held at facilities across the country, who will no longer be forced to perform in cruel dolphin shows.

How the Dolphinarium Ban in Mexico Came to Be

Through public education, eye-catching demonstrations, social media campaigns, and high-profile celebrity support, PETA has helped grow support for bans on confining cetaceans like the one now passed in Mexico. By keeping public pressure high, we’ve helped shift cultural attitudes and make it clear that dolphins belong in their natural habitat, not being exploited for human entertainment.

The dolphinarium ban, supported by our friends at Animal Heroes and the Mexican Attorney General for Environmental Protection, moved quickly. After the resurgence of a video from 2020 that shows a leaping dolphin landing on concrete at a dolphin show at now-defunct Barceló Maya Grand Resort’s dolphinarium, coupled with reports of two other dolphin deaths at the same facility, dolphin protection became a priority for the Mexican government and public.

The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, announced a new dolphin-centric bill was in progress in early June, saying it would “protect dolphins, so they are not in captivity.” By the end of June, the dolphin protection bill had the unanimous support of the Mexican Senate and the approval of the Representatives, and it was quickly signed into law by President Sheinbaum.

“We are against any violence, but animal abuse in particular is a reflection of what could later escalate in terms of violence.” –President Claudia Sheinbaum

How You Can Speak Up for Dolphins in the U.S.

The best thing you can do for dolphins and other marine animals is to refuse to support their abuse. Please don’t visit marine parks, and never buy tickets to roadside zoos or shady aquariums that keep ocean animals in extreme captivity. Instead, join PETA in urging SeaWorld and other exploitative facilities to release the animals to a seaside sanctuary.