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The Alleged Dolphin Abuse Video and the Tragic End of “Dolphin King” José Luis Barbero
When a video surfaced of him allegedly kicking and hitting a dolphin in his care, Barbero began receiving violent death threats.
To learn the full story, read my article on All That’s Interesting.
He was known as the “Dolphin King.” He had an undeniable connection and loving bond with the animals he trained for so many years. But in February 2015, an animal rights organization released a video clip allegedly depicting José Luis Barbero mistreating the dolphins.
Was it really him in the video, or had he been set up?
Once a celebrated Spanish aquarium trainer, Barbero took a prestigious position at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia. However, his career took a dramatic turn when the suspicious video emerged.
A man with the likeness of Barbero was caught mistreating a dolphin at an aquarium in Mallorca, Spain, where the Dolphin King had worked since the late 1980s. The beloved trainer insisted he was not the person in the video and that he had never, and would never, hurt any of his dolphins.
But as he became the subject of a campaign by animal rights activists against animal cruelty, the 59-year-old started receiving death threats… and suddenly he disappeared.
A few days later, Barbero’s lifeless body was found inside a car parked near the Palma de Mallorca airport. He had taken his own life.
