Dolphinarium slammed over video showing keeper ‘performing sex act on dolphin’

A ZOO has been slammed over a video showing a keeper performing a “sex act” on a dolphin, but prosecutors say it is not what it seems.

Zoo keeper caught 'performing sex act on dolphin' on video. Picture: RambamCCP/Youtube

A ZOO has been blasted by animal rights groups after a shocking video emerged showing a zookeeper appearing to perform a sex act on a dolphin.

Campaigners branding the Dolphinarium in Hardewijk, Netherlands an “underwater circus” called for it to be shut down after the undercover footage emerged.

In the video, which we chose not to publish, a dolphin can be seen lying on its back in an indoor pool, while a male zookeeper performs a sex act on it using a gloved hand, before feeding the animal a fish, reported The Sun.

But Dutch prosecutors said the footage does not show anything illegal.

“The sexual act with the dolphin is performed in the context of training the dolphin for the release of sperm as part of a breeding program,” the prosecutor explained.

“The act was conducted by a scientist in the context of scientific research that focuses on this breeding program.”

A reporter for Dutch TV program Rambam shot the film while working as an intern at the Dolphinarium.

The keeper was not doing anything illegal, according to Dutch prosecutors. Picture: RambamCCP/YouTube

A spokesman for the zoo said: “The interplay between man and dolphin fits well in all respects within all laws that the Dolphinariam comply with, like all zoos should.”

Staff members were also filmed saying it was done to prevent incest between the animals, as well as claiming there were “gay” dolphins at the facility that had sex with each other in their tanks.

The marine park has also been accused of keeping its animals in cramped tanks with too much chlorine in the water, but the spokesman rejected the allegations, calling them “unfounded”.

“A specialised team tests the water habitats in the Dolphinarium daily so that it meets the legal standards,” he said.

Marine parks keeping large mammals like dolphins and orcas have come under increased scrutiny in recent years since the release of documentary Blackfish.

The high-profile film — focusing mainly on US park SeaWorld — highlighted problems in the sea-park industry, such as the conditions the animals are kept in.

This article originally appeared on The Sun