Quintana Roo, Mexico — Environmental activists are demanding transparency over a 50-peso fee charged to tourists for recreational, educational, therapeutic, or interactive activities with captive dolphins in Quintana Roo. The group Manglares Más Vivos Más Sanos has raised concerns about how the funds are being managed, targeting the state’s Secretary of Ecology and Environment (Sema), Óscar Rébora Aguilera, and Governor Mara Lezama Espinosa.
Selene Tejada Bravo, a representative of the collective, said Tuesday marks the deadline for authorities to respond to a formal information request filed through the National Transparency Platform under file number 340026700353026. The request seeks details on revenue collected since the tax on activities with aquatic animals took effect under Decree 078, which amended the Quintana Roo State Revenue Law.
“What Sema and the Government of Quintana Roo have done to the environment is everything except their obligations,” Tejada Bravo said. “It has nothing to do with dogs and cats. It’s about defending mangroves, defending wildlife, defending life — not private interests alongside Mara Lezama. We are very upset by the lack of transparency.”
The group is asking for a full accounting of income, how the funds are allocated, the criteria for determining the tax, and what benefits the money has provided for marine mammals in the state.
Meanwhile, the international animal rights organization PETA Latin America has launched a petition calling on Quintana Roo authorities to create a sanctuary for dolphins. The state is home to 18 of Mexico’s 31 registered dolphinariums, accounting for 80% of the country’s facilities. An estimated 200 to 240 cetaceans remain in captivity, though no official census exists.
Local authorities have remained silent on the issue, despite claiming on social media to be “vigilant guardians” of cetacean welfare.
A 2025 reform to the General Wildlife Law restricted shows involving marine mammals and banned their reproduction in captivity, but left the fate of animals already in captivity unclear. One notable case involves nine dolphins housed at the former Ventura Park site in Cancún. State officials say the animals are not abandoned and receive specialized veterinary care.
Dolphinariums in Quintana Roo are located in Cancún, Riviera Maya, Playa Mujeres, Puerto Morelos, Cozumel, and Isla Mujeres. Dolphin Discovery was shut down by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (Profepa) in October 2025, while Delphinus holds about 100 animals across seven locations.
