The Georgia Aquarium is raising questions about a video that surfaced last week that allegedly shows its new vice president abusing dolphins.
Aquarium CEO Mark Leven told Channel 2’s Jessica Jaglois he believes the video has been doctored but that forensics experts will determine the veracity of the video and if the allegations are true, he says, their new VP will be fired immediately.
An animal rights group released the disturbing video on Tuesday which allegedly shows the Georgia aquarium’s new vice president Jose Barbero hitting, kicking and screaming at dolphins he trained in Spain.
“This video is disturbing, we are not happy about it and we are investigating,” Leven said.
Leven said he has handed the video over to forensics experts who believe it is fake.
“We have blown it up. It’s very poor. We have seen that it could be doctored. There is no real indication that we have found yet of any animal abuse in that video. That’s not to say we won’t,” Leven told Jaglois.
Barbero has denied the allegations, but ever since the group SOS Delfines put the video on their website, Barbero’s family has received death threats and his wife was also hospitalized due to stress, Leven said.
The group says the video only shows what they said they’ve known for years.
“Actually, we had had information that these were the training methods at this center and finally, a few months ago some neighbors and informants gave us the footage,” said Jennifer Berengueras with SOS Delfines.
Jaglois went to the group’s website for an update, which currently only reads, “our website is temporarily disabled,” in Spanish.
The international marine animal training association is also investigating and that the aquarium will stand by Barbero unless the video is proven to be real, Leven said.
“If Jose is proved to abuse animals, he will not have a future here,” Leven said.
Barbero is currently in Spain with his family until March.
Leven hopes the investigation will be complete by then.
The Georgia Aquarium has also released an outline of their investigation.
Georgia Aquarium CEO says dolphin abuse video likely doctored
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