The terrifying moment a dolphin leaped from the ocean onto the concrete was caught on camera.

A throng had gathered to see a performance by three dolphins, who were seen jumping out of the water in unison in this video shot by a tourist at a hotel in Mexico.

The footage has sparked controversy after one of the marine creatures regrettably jumps out and lands on a piece of concrete that is sandwiched between two pools.

A trainer hurried to the defenseless animal while the dolphin lay there.

According to an Instagram post from non-profit Urgent Seas: “We cannot confirm, we are told that the dolphin has died following this SHOCKING and UNNECESSARY injury.”

Marine mammal activist Phil Demers spoke out about the footage to Yahoo News, commenting: “This particular incident is one of the worst. It really, truly is. Even if it survived, its health is going to be severely compromised.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/DFfug6Vu7x6/“It’s completely inexcusable, it’s something that never would happen in the wild. It just eliminates any rationale they should exist in these concrete tanks.”

With one of the smallest dolphinariums in the nation, the Barcelo Riviera Maya hotel in Mexico is well-known for its practice of keeping marine life in captivity.

Two dolphins have been reported deceased while under the hotel’s care, and several animal rights organizations have joined forces to issue a unified statement.

“For a year now, the organisations Animal Heroes, Dolphin Freedom, Marea, and Oceanos De Vida Libre have maintained a permanent campaign demanding the closure of this dolphinarium, which is one of the smallest in Mexico,” they said.

The press release continued: “We have delivered letters to both Barcelo in Playa del Carmen and in Mexico City, as well as letters from schoolchildren in Baja California pleading for an end to the exploitation of dolphins, yet they have never been willing to receive us.”

They added: “In addition, we have exposed other tragedies, such as the deaths of the dolphins Alex and Plata in just one year, which were never properly investigated.”

“We have shown that the dolphin pool is smaller than those for humans, despite the fact that in the wild they swim vast distances and depths, that they have no shelter from the sun, and so on.”

The dolphin in the video may or may not be one of the dead.

The death of two tourist entertainment dolphins while in the custody of a hotel in Rivera Maya has prompted an investigation by the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa).

Profepa stated in a press release, “On January 24, Profepa requested the submission of the documentation with which the Dolphinaris Barceló dolphinarium, located at the Barceló Hotel, notified the Directorate General of Wildlife (DGVS) about the death of the dolphin named Plata.”

Asking for documentation, they added that they also requested ‘the authorization letter’ for the transfer of a dolphin named Alex, adding, “[And] if applicable, the notification to the same authority about his death. The deadline for submitting this information ended on January 31, 2025.”

The inventory of animals kept at the hotel between 2018 and 2024, including the additions and deletions of specimens, is presently being examined.

In order to find any infractions, the organization seeks to confirm “that there is legal appropriation of the specimens that it currently has.”

Estefanía Mercado, the mayor of Playa del Carmen, responded to the request by discussing the recent death of a dolphin on the property.

She said, “In light of the events surrounding the death of a dolphin at the Barceló Riviera Maya Hotel, we inform you that our Ministry of the Environment is in communication with state and federal authorities, who have taken over the investigation.”

“From the Government of Solidaridad, we reaffirm our commitment to animal protection and will work on proposals to strengthen regulations that guarantee their well-being because the right to human enjoyment should never cost the life of a living being.”