Ceuta's illegal migrants raise dolphin calf like a trophy in after it was 'hit with a stick' in Spanish enclave
This is the shocking moment that illegal migrants appear to have captured and killed a young dolphin in shallow waters by hitting it with a stick.
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The horrific video shared online showed a group of men who paraded the animal around as if it were a trophy before enraged onlookers confronted them in Ceuta.
The Spanish territory saw an influx of around 72,000 illegal migrants in July in a mass spontaneous crossing from Morocco.
While the vast majority were returned to Morocco swiftly, it is understood that thousands still remain.
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One of the Spaniards who confronted the migrants could be heard shouting "No! No! No!", before warning the group it is illegal to touch or eat the dolphin.
An online petition has been launched to find those responsible for the brazen act of environmental crime and see them brought to justice.
According to El Faro de Ceuta, the tragic dolphin calf is thought to have been swimming close to the shore before being pulled from the water and struck on the head with a stick.
The paper said a local worker witnessed the incident and intervened.
Nadia Garcia Gomez, who launched the petition, said in a post alongside a photo of one of the migrants holding up the calf: "On Wednesday, September 2, 2026, a disoriented dolphin calf swimming near the shore at Trampolin Beach, in Ceuta, was brutally pulled from the water.
"Witnesses and local media reported that the animal was handled as if it were an object and violently struck on the head with a stick, causing its immediate death.
"The shocking images shared on social media show those responsible displaying the cetacean's lifeless body as if it were a trophy.
"This act of extreme and unjustifiable cruelty cannot go unpunished.
"Dolphins are strictly protected species under Spanish and European laws, and mistreatment of them constitutes a serious criminal offence."
One of the Spaniards who got involved was heard shouting: "They've just caught a dolphin, that's a dolphin, you can't touch it."
Another bluntly confronted the thugs, saying: "No, no, no, you can't do that, you can't do that, sons of b*****s."