Venice’s newest marvel is a wild, acrobatic dolphin. His refusal to leave puts him in danger
MILAN– Venice was charmed by a recent visitor: an acrobatic and wild dolphin. The feeling seems mutual – he refuses to leave so far – but the proximity of humans puts him in danger.
The dolphin nicknamed Mimmo has been delighting tourists and Venetians for months with his acrobatic somersaults. Experts are now eager to move it into open water, especially after checking for injuries indicating the dolphin was likely struck by a boat propeller.
On Saturday, several agencies used low-level acoustic devices to keep Mimmo away from the busy St. Marc Basin — and it worked briefly. But the dolphin returned after an hour, as experts feared.
“It’s very worrying because it’s a hot spot with a lot of maritime traffic,” said Guido Pietroluongo, a veterinarian with the emergency response team for stranded dolphins, whales and porpoises at the University of Padua, known by the acronym CERT.
St. Mark’s Basin, the shallow body of water in front of St. Mark’s Square connecting both the Giudecca and the Grand Canal, is busy with ferries, vaporetti, water taxis and private boats.
When the operation failed, experts confirmed that Mimmo suffered superficial injuries, likely from a boat propeller, Pietroluongo said. This was the first time they noticed any injuries on the dolphin, and its injuries are expected to heal completely. But experts worry about its safety in such proximity to human activity.
They plan no immediate action and hope that colder seasonal temperatures will lure it and its prey fish out of the lagoon and into warmer waters, Pietroluongo said.
Mimmo’s arrival in the Venetian Lagoon was recorded on July 23, and experts say the coastal creature likely followed a school of fish into the brackish waters separated from the open sea by barrier islands. It owes its nickname to the sailing instructor who first spotted it off the Venetian lagoon fishing town of Chioggia.
Mimmo follows the pattern of a so-called social loner, usually a young male dolphin that breaks away from the group for food or social reasons and then comes into contact with the human world, said CERT veterinarian Sandro Mazzariol.
“About 100 cases have been documented around the world in which these animals are absolutely comfortable and remain healthy even if they do not interact with their peers,” Mazzariol said in a video post on Facebook.
Dolphin sightings in Venice are rare but not rare, Mazzariol said.
The most recent incident involved a pair of striped dolphins spotted in February 2021 and which were quickly reeled offshore using acoustic devices. They never came back.
Mimmo was closely monitored during his stay in the lagoon and was reported in good health and nutrition as he feasted on a diet worthy of any Venetian tourist: red mullet, sea bass and sea bream. His behavior was also found to be normal, including his playful aerial swings.
The team from the University of Padua visits every week to check on the animal’s condition and receives regular updates from citizens who share their observations, including photos and videos.
Authorities are warning citizens and boaters not to feed or interact with the dolphin, which constitutes a criminal offense. Dolphins are protected by Italian, European and international law. But the fact that Mimmo’s fame is spreading is part of the problem.
“The dolphin has become an attraction. Boats that stop to observe it can stress the animal,” Pietroluongo said.
