BABY DOLPHIN PARaded AROUND A CEUTA BEACH — SHOCKING VIDEO SPARKS OUTRAGE

A disturbing video filmed on a beach in Ceuta has sparked outrage after a group of men were seen carrying a young dolphin around the shoreline. An environmental organization has now filed a formal complaint, alleging that the animal was pulled from the water and struck with a stick before it died.

The footage is difficult to watch.

A young dolphin can be seen being carried away from the water as several people gather around it.

At one point, the animal appears to be lifted up and passed around while people nearby watch.

The disturbing images were filmed at El Trampolín beach in Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on the North African coast, on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. Local newspaper El Faro de Ceuta has verified that the footage corresponds to the location and date being circulated online.

But what happened to the dolphin after it was taken from the sea has now become the subject of a formal complaint and an investigation.

THE MOMENT THAT SPARKED OUTRAGE

According to El Faro de Ceuta, the group noticed the young bottlenose dolphin swimming extremely close to shore.

The report alleges that they took advantage of its proximity to pull the animal from the water.

Once the dolphin was on land, one of the men allegedly struck it on the head with a stick.

The animal was reportedly left seriously injured.

A worker from Ecoservicios who was cleaning the beach witnessed what was happening and intervened.

The worker reportedly warned the group that they should not be handling the dolphin and should instead contact the appropriate wildlife service.

By the time the men attempted to return the animal to the sea, it appeared to be lifeless, according to the local report.

“YOU CAN’T TAKE THAT”

Another video, recorded by Ceuta-based blogger Juan Ruiz, captured the group carrying the dolphin toward the rocks.

Ruiz can be heard confronting them.

He reportedly told them that they could not take the animal and that it was a dolphin.

The footage quickly spread across social media, where viewers reacted with anger and disbelief.

At one point, Ruiz asked who had caused the dolphin’s death.

People in the group were heard responding that the animal had already been dead.

That claim is one reason the circumstances surrounding the incident remain under scrutiny.

WHAT THE VIDEO DOES — AND DOES NOT — PROVE

The shocking footage is real.

Fact-checking organization Newtral confirmed that the video was filmed at El Trampolín beach in Ceuta and that another recording shows people carrying the dolphin’s body.

However, Newtral cautioned that the viral footage alone does not independently establish every allegation being made online.

In particular, the fact-checker said it had not found images or independent information that conclusively prove the animal was struck in the head with a stick.

That distinction is important.

The allegation has been reported by local media, while the environmental organization that filed the complaint says the evidence it submitted supports its account of what happened.

The investigation will ultimately have to determine the precise sequence of events.

ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP FILES COMPLAINT

DAUBMA, an environmental organization focused on biodiversity and environmental protection in Ceuta, has filed a formal complaint with Spain’s Guardia Civil.

The group is asking authorities to identify those involved and investigate the circumstances surrounding the dolphin’s death.

DAUBMA said it submitted photographs, video footage and social-media material as part of its complaint.

The case could therefore move beyond social-media outrage and into a formal investigation.

Authorities will need to establish what happened to the dolphin after it was removed from the water, who handled it, whether it was alive at that point and what caused its death.

A PROTECTED MARINE ANIMAL

The incident has also renewed attention on the protection of marine wildlife in Spain.

Dolphins are protected animals, and allegations involving deliberate harm to a marine mammal can have serious legal consequences.

For environmental advocates, the issue is not simply what the video looks like.

It is whether a protected animal was deliberately removed from its natural environment and subsequently harmed.

That is now a matter for investigators to determine.

THE VIDEO ARRIVES AMID A DEEPLY DIVIDED CEUTA

The timing has made the controversy even more politically sensitive.

Ceuta is currently experiencing a major migration crisis, with thousands of migrants remaining in temporary camps and other informal locations across the city.

Residents have staged large demonstrations over the government’s handling of the situation, while migrant communities have also reported fear of hostility and reprisals. Reuters reported that thousands took part in protests in Ceuta earlier this week as tensions surrounding the crisis continued.

That wider context has made the dolphin footage particularly explosive online.

But the circumstances of one incident should not automatically be applied to an entire group of people.

The allegations in this case concern the individuals shown in the footage, and investigators have yet to establish the full circumstances.

QUESTIONS THAT REMAIN

Who first found the dolphin?

Was it alive when it was removed from the water?

Was it struck with a stick?

Who handled the animal after it was taken onto the beach?

And what ultimately caused its death?

Those questions remain central.

The footage has already generated intense public reaction, but a viral video is not the same thing as a completed investigation.

For now, the most significant development is that an environmental group has formally asked Spanish authorities to investigate.

And as investigators examine the available footage and evidence, the disturbing images from El Trampolín continue to circulate — leaving viewers asking how a protected young dolphin ended up being carried around on a crowded beach in the first place.