Venice, one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations, has recently had a special visitor – a bottlenose dolphin – that has spent the past eight months in the waters of the Venetian Lagoon, often swimming close to the iconic San Marco Square. Conservationists have been concerned about potential harm this dolphin may face due to increased public interest and similar cases often resulting in the death of the animal because of human misbehaviour.
A new scientific publication calls to protect “Mimmo”, the solitary dolphin that has taken up residence in the busy Venetian Lagoon, urging the public to follow official guidance to ensure human-wildlife coexistence and prevent disturbance or injury to the dolphin.
The new paper published in Frontiers in Ethology describes the dolphin’s behaviour and outlines the risks it faces living in a busy area where boats and curious onlookers frequently approach, attempting to catch a glimpse of this special marine mammal. The paper’s authors call for people to comply with Italian and international legislation to keep the dolphin safe as well as recommending the development of a specific action plan for the dolphin.
Bottlenose dolphins are present in the Adriatic Sea, but it is unusual for them to enter the Venetian Lagoon, and it is even more unusual for them to stay there for a prolonged period. “Mimmo” was first recorded in June 2025 and is still present eight months later. Researchers from the Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science of the University of Padova and the Natural History Museum of Venice have been monitoring the dolphin and report that it is healthy and feeding well, taking advantage of abundant mullet in the Lagoon waters close to Venice.
To reduce disturbance and the risk of injury, the team from the University of Padova developed a code of conduct specifying that boats should maintain a distance of at least 50m from the dolphin, avoid accelerating, changing direction abruptly or reversing and that speed limits should be adhered to. People are told not to approach, touch, feed or throw objects towards the dolphin.
Despite these measures, reports indicate that guided tours have approached the dolphin, and individuals have tried to feed or touch it. In November, the dolphin was sighted with injuries consistent with a possible boat propeller strike. Authorities subsequently attempted to encourage the dolphin to leave the San Marco Basin. Although the intervention initially proved successful as an emergency strategy, the animal returned to the basin shortly afterwards.
The authors also assessed the feasibility and the ethical implications of potential interventions to displace the dolphin, including the use of acoustic deterrent devices, or capture and translocation. However, they largely dismissed these measures and concluded that the most appropriate strategy is to accept the presence of the dolphin and prioritise protective measures and education of the public about how to behave around a wild marine animal.
As the authors pointed out: "The dolphin in the Venetian Lagoon is trying its best to survive in challenging conditions. The northern Adriatic Sea is heavily overfished, and its habitats are degraded. It is not surprising that the lagoon waters around Venice, where prey is abundant, can attract a dolphin. Now we must learn to coexist, rely on good management practice, and come to view this wild creature with the wonder and respect it deserves."
Part of this work was carried out within the framework of a collaboration among two partners participating in the Interreg Italy-Slovenia Project SeaInsights (ITA-SI0600267), specifically the Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science/University of Padova, and Dolphin Biology and Conservation.
Article title: Case Report: The ‘dolphin of Venice’: management of a solitary bottlenose dolphin in the Venetian Lagoon
Download link (open access): https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ethology/articles/10.3389/fetho.2026.1770678/
Authors:
Giovanni Bearzi (1,2), Sandro Mazzariol (3), Luca Mizzan (4), Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara (5), Marco Bonato (3), Luca Ceolotto (3) and Guido Pietroluongo (3)
1) Dolphin Biology and Conservation, Cordenons, PN, Italy
2) OceanCare, Wädenswil, Switzerland
3) Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
4) Natural History Museum Giancarlo Ligabue, Venice, Italy
5) Tethys Research Institute, Milan, Italy
Citation:
Bearzi G, Mazzariol S, Mizzan L, Notarbartolo di Sciara G, Bonato M, Ceolotto L and Pietroluongo G (2026) Case Report: The ‘dolphin of Venice’: management of a solitary bottlenose dolphin in the Venetian Lagoon. Frontiers in Ethology 5, 1770678. doi:10.3389/fetho.2026.1770678
