The body of José Luis Barbero, was found in his car at Palma de Majorca Airport. The police had been trying to locate him for several days when his body, which showed no signs of violence, was discovered.

The 59-year-old dolphin trainer had been denounced for cruelty to animals whilst carrying out his work at the Marineland aquarium – somebody had posted a video on Youtube supposedly showing him repeatedly hitting dolphins.

The Youtube video, however, had been manipulated and the soundtrack, in which a voice can be heard, insulting the animals, has nothing to do with the video. Furthermore, the images have apparently been sped up to make the man’s movements appear more brusque and repetitive.

One of the trainer’s last public statements once the denuncia was placed against him by an animal rights association, based on the Youtube video were: “They’ve massacred me.”

The video had gone viral and an intense internet debate was generated, reaching the US, where he was about to be hired for a vice-presidential position in one of the world’s biggest aquariums.

After his death had been made public, the animal rights association admitted that it hadn’t followed its own protocols, such as contacting the aquarium before going ahead with a denuncia. It was an error, they said, which would not happen again.

Whatever the case, José’s 35 years of working with these animals has ended tragically and irreparably.

(News: Balearic Islands, Spain)