Migrants hoist baby dolphin like a trophy on Spanish beach - cops probe after video outrage

A baby bottlenose dolphin was pulled from the water, held aloft like a prize, and later found dead on a Ceuta beach Wednesday - sparking viral outrage, animal-rights complaints, and a Guardia Civil probe.

Footage circulating on social media shows a group of men on Playa del Trampolín lifting the small cetacean amid cheers and clapping. One man grins while holding the animal overhead. Another records on a smartphone. Local influencer Juan Ruiz, who captured part of the scene, can be heard shouting that the animal cannot be taken and is not food.

The conservation group DAUBMA says the calf reached the shore alive and disoriented - likely because of fog - then was yanked from the water and struck in the head with a stick. The group told police the animal had blood under one eye and that some of those present tried to wipe it away. It handed videos, photos, and social-media captures to the Guardia Civil and asked prosecutors to treat the case as cruelty and a crime against protected wildlife.

"Somehow this Migrant has an iPhone 17? Wish I could afford one," said one posted on X.com

Spanish law treats bottlenose dolphins as protected fauna. Article 334 of the Penal Code allows prison terms of six months to two years, plus hunting and fishing bans. Separate biodiversity rules can bring administrative fines running into the hundreds of thousands of euros - or higher for serious cases.

No suspects have been publicly identified. The men appear to be among the migrants who have remained on the beach since the late-July mass border crossings into the Spanish North African enclave. Some on the scene told Ruiz the animal was already dead. PACMA, Spain's animal-rights party, has called for a government investigation while warning against using the video to stoke hatred and noting that accounts of what happened still conflict.

A Change.org petition demanding identification and maximum penalties quickly circulated. Political groups, including Se Acabó la Fiesta, filed their own complaints seeking an inquiry into possible wildlife and animal-cruelty offenses.

Authorities have not announced arrests. The investigation remains open.