Humans – not Mimmo the dolphin – need managing in Venice lagoon, say scientists | Dolphins

Italian scientists monitoring the movements of a dolphin in the Venice lagoon say it is humans who need to be managed, rather than wildlife.

Known as Mimmo, the bottlenose dolphin has been sighted several times since its first appearance in June last year, prompting a research team from the University of Padua to intervene.

As the animal delights tourists and locals with its acrobatic leaps, animal and environmental activists have launched a campaign to “save Mimmo”, fearing he could be killed by the propellers of boats plying the busy lagoon.

The scientists published a study in the journal Frontiers in Ethology, describing their monitoring activities and the dolphin’s movements over several months.

“We present the case of one of the most charismatic animals in one of the most iconic cities: a lone dolphin in Venice,” said the paper’s lead author, Guido Pietroluongo, a conservation veterinary pathologist at the Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science at the University of Padua.

Pietroluongo added that the team’s observations documented the animal’s “remarkable adaptation to an unusual context” while highlighting “the need to manage human behavior to ensure its well-being.”

Bottlenose dolphins are the most common dolphin species in Italian waters and although they usually move in groups, in recent years there have been several cases of solitary dolphins in the Adriatic leaving their pod and congregating towards coastal or urban areas.

Mimmo was first seen by Manuel Tiffi, a water taxi driver, on June 23, 2025. He told Corriere della Sera that the dolphin often swam “right in front of the bow.” Tiffi said water taxi drivers have reported sightings to warn people to be careful. “But the animal doesn’t seem to be afraid,” he added.

Since Tiffi’s sighting, scientists have observed the dolphin from boats every week, with the support of the authorities and citizens of Venice, and have noted its movement from the southern end of the Venetian lagoon to the northern end, where it is still present.

“Observing bottlenose dolphins in urban areas is not particularly surprising, as they are extremely adaptable and opportunistic marine mammals,” Pietroluongo said, adding that “Mimmo appears healthy and is regularly observed feeding on mullet.”

Historically, dolphins have taken up residence in the Venetian lagoon and adapted to live there.

But while Mimmo’s behavior since his arrival has been “species typical”, humans present a problem, scientists say, with the greatest risk coming from them acting inappropriately towards the animal, including operating boats irresponsibly.

Scientists said measures controlling speed and keeping boats at a safe distance were needed.

“What is really unusual is not the presence of the dolphin, but the continuing difficulty humans have today in respecting these animals,” said Giovanni Bearzi, who has studied Adriatic dolphins for four decades.

“We must appreciate opportunities to coexist with and benefit from wildlife. Historical and contemporary documentation clearly shows that dolphins have accompanied human maritime activities for millennia, but we still struggle to coexist with them appropriately.”