The bottlenose mammal, nicknamed Mimmo, was first spotted in the waters of St Mark\u2019s Basin in June by a water taxi driver. The dolphin<\/a> has delighted tourists<\/a> with its acrobatic dives and fish-catching prowess, becoming a regular feature in sightseer\u2019s snaps while on boat trips. <\/p>\n But now locals are expressing concern that the dolphin\u2019s presence<\/a> in an area of the Venetian lagoon waterlogged with traffic could kill it.<\/p>\n Luca Mizzan, head of Venice\u2019s Natural History Museum, told The Times<\/a>: \u201cThe dolphin curiously approaches boats when it can see people on deck and came to us twice yesterday to show off mullet it had caught in its mouth, which it then let go,\u201d having spent Wednesday in a boat monitoring Mimmo.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re perplexed since this is not normal behaviour. The dolphin is confident it can avoid boats, however, it\u2019s dangerous; all it needs is one boat reversing suddenly, while the noise from engines must create total confusion underwater,\u201d he added. \u201cI don\u2019t think it is trapped because it knows how to get out, and it is unusual for a dolphin to stay so long in the lagoon and to be alone, usually they travel in groups.\u201d<\/p>\n Residents have launched a campaign on Facebook to support the dolphin who they warned was in \u201cserious danger, given the considerable usual traffic, to which many boats are now added, who go specifically to see and photograph it.\u201d<\/p>\n One campaigner Cristina Romieri said on social media that there would be a flash mob on Saturday morning to raise awareness for the dolphin\u2019s safety, citing the need to safeguard Mimmo into a less dangerous habitat.<\/p>\n Experts have suggested that just because the dolphin remains in the lagoon, this doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s happy. Ca’ Foscari Ecology Professor Fabio Pranovi told Corriere del Veneto<\/a>: \u201cIt seems that in order to easily find food, dolphins follow boats, putting up with the noise , which is very annoying to them.<\/p>\n \u201cSo he’s likely staying because he manages to eat his daily allowance of a few kilos of fish. It remains to be seen why he’s here alone; he belongs to a species that lives in schools. Either he’s confused , or he’s adapting to a new environment just to eat.”<\/p>\n Authorities, including the Cetacean Strandings Emergency Response Team (CERT) and the Coast Guard, are monitoring Mimmo in order to keep the dolphin safe.<\/p>\n A spokesperson from CERT said: “A bottlenose dolphin has been swimming in the Veneto lagoon since June 2025. In early October, it was sighted in Venice. A team of experts from the Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science at the University of Padova is responsible for monitoring the dolphin to assess its health and ensure its safety and welfare.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-07-at-16-38-57.png\")
The dolphin has been seen near St Mark’s Basin, a busy part of the lagoon (Supplied)<\/p>\n