When you visit Delphinus, you see dolphins, activities, specialists, and spaces designed for their care. But you may have wondered: what’s behind all of this? Who supports the way we work?
Animal care, research, and conservation are not tasks any organization can carry out alone. They require knowledge, experience, and above all, working hand in hand with other institutions and specialists. That is why many of Delphinus’s projects are supported by a network of alliances, collaborations, and accreditations that help strengthen our work.
This idea is also part of the United Nations 2030 Agenda. Its Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 17 highlights that partnerships among governments, businesses, academic institutions, and civil society organizations are essential to achieving goals related to sustainable development and environmental protection.
At Delphinus, these collaborations allow us to share knowledge, learn from other specialists, and stay connected with organizations working on similar issues around the world. It is one more way to keep learning and to continuously improve what we do.
In this blog, we explain what is behind some of Delphinus’s accreditations and partnerships, what they mean, and why they matter to our work with marine mammals, research, environmental education, and animal welfare.
The challenges related to marine conservation, animal welfare, and sustainability are becoming increasingly complex. No organization can address them in isolation. That is why international organizations, professional associations, and research centers increasingly promote multidisciplinary collaboration models that allow knowledge, experience, and resources to be shared.
Strategic partnerships make it possible to access new methodologies, strengthen training programs, participate in scientific research, exchange best practices, and adopt recognized international standards. They also make it easier to build networks that contribute to developing solutions based on scientific evidence.
For a modern zoological institution like Delphinus, these collaborations represent an opportunity to keep advancing in areas related to animal welfare, research, environmental education, and sustainability, while aligning with international standards and best practices in the sector.
One of the ways Delphinus strengthens its work is through active participation in professional associations related to animal welfare, marine mammals, and conservation.
Since 2014, Delphinus has been a founding member of the Mexican Association of Habitats for the Interaction and Protection of Marine Mammals A.C. (AMHMAR), an organization made up of Mexican companies dedicated to the care of marine mammals. Its objective is to promote best practices, share scientific information, and strengthen the sector’s representation with different stakeholders in society.
But what does that mean in practice? Being part of AMHMAR allows Delphinus to share experiences, knowledge, and projects with other specialists and organizations. It also supports the development of initiatives related to education, animal welfare, and science communication.
Delphinus is also part of the Mexican Association of Zoos, Breeding Facilities, and Aquariums (AZCARM), an organization that since 1985 has brought together institutions committed to biodiversity conservation, scientific research, environmental education, and animal welfare.
Participating in organizations like these allows for an ongoing exchange of scientific and technical knowledge and experience, while also helping advance initiatives that strengthen the conservation of species and ecosystems in Mexico.
Animal welfare is one of the areas that most depends on evaluation, monitoring, and continuous improvement. For that reason, several international organizations have developed accreditation systems that verify compliance with specialized standards for the management and care of animals under professional care.
In 2016, Delphinus became the first organization dedicated to dolphin interaction to earn the Humane Certified™ certification granted by American Humane. This accreditation evaluates animal welfare through independent audits and scientific standards related to health, habitat, veterinary programs, environmental enrichment, management protocols, and overall well-being.
These types of external evaluations help ensure that the practices in place meet internationally recognized criteria and that there is a permanent process of continuous improvement focused on the animals’ quality of life.
In addition, Delphinus holds accreditation from the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums (AMMPA), considered one of the leading accreditation organizations for facilities specialized in marine mammals. Its standards cover areas such as animal health, applied behavior, enrichment programs, water quality, scientific research, conservation, and public education. Accredited facilities must periodically demonstrate compliance with these requirements through on-site evaluations conducted by independent specialists.
These accreditations represent much more than institutional recognition. They are tools that help measure results, identify opportunities for improvement, and ensure that operations are carried out under broadly recognized scientific and ethical standards.
Behind the care of every individual animal are also people who need to keep learning. The growth of an organization depends, to a great extent, on the preparation of the people who are part of it. That is why ongoing training is essential to strengthen areas such as animal welfare, veterinary medicine, behavior, and environmental education.
At Delphinus, this includes the development of our Animal Care Specialists (ECAs), whose program is accredited by the International Marine Animal Trainers' Association (IMATA), an international organization focused on promoting best practices in positive reinforcement training, species management, and specialized professional development.
But training does not end with an accreditation. Trainers, veterinarians, biologists, and Animal Care Specialists stay continuously up to date in order to learn about new methodologies and scientific advances related to the management and welfare of marine mammals.
This continuous learning also strengthens environmental enrichment programs, behavior monitoring, and animal welfare assessment by incorporating knowledge and tools that help us improve the care of our animals on an ongoing basis.
Scientific research is one of the pillars that benefits most from interinstitutional alliances. Joint work among organizations, universities, and research centers makes it possible to develop broader studies and generate knowledge that can be applied to both animal welfare and conservation.
Over the years, Delphinus has collaborated with national and international academic institutions such as the University of Cambridge, the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico, the Chicago Zoological Society, and several Mexican universities. These collaborations have made it possible to develop projects related to conservation, animal behavior, health, welfare, and basic science applied to marine mammals.
The signing of an agreement with the Scientific Research Center of Yucatán (CICY) represents an important step in strengthening scientific research and technological development projects focused on marine conservation, sustainability, and animal welfare. This collaboration seeks to bring together technical capabilities, infrastructure, academic experience, and specialized resources to drive high-impact research in the region.
The importance of these partnerships is also reflected in international scientific literature. Studies have found that evaluating behavioral diversity can be used as a meaningful indicator to better understand the welfare of dolphins under professional care, contributing to the development of monitoring tools based on scientific evidence.
These studies show how collaboration among institutions, scientists, and specialists can generate knowledge that later translates into better practices for animal welfare.
Environmental conservation is not something that can be done in isolation either. Many of the challenges ecosystems face, such as marine pollution, biodiversity loss, and the effects of climate change, require different organizations to combine their knowledge and resources.
That is why partnerships among companies, universities, government institutions, and civil society organizations are increasingly important. Each contributes different expertise, experience, and capabilities that, when combined, can help develop solutions and expand the reach of conservation efforts.
At Delphinus, these collaborations are part of our work in conservation, environmental education, research, and sustainability. Through joint projects, knowledge exchange, and awareness-building activities, we seek to ensure that the efforts of different organizations become collective actions capable of creating greater impact in protecting marine ecosystems.
Behind every Delphinus project and initiative there is a network of people and institutions that share knowledge, experience, and goals. Alliances, accreditations, and collaborations allow us to keep learning, strengthen our programs, and adopt best practices that contribute to animal welfare, research, environmental education, and conservation.
All of this is part of the same idea: to move forward, we also need to learn from others and work with others. Science, conservation, and animal welfare grow stronger when different specialists and institutions bring their knowledge and capabilities together to achieve shared goals.
That is why, for Delphinus, growth does not mean moving forward in isolation, but building relationships that allow us to keep learning, improve our work, and expand the impact of our actions. Growth is built through cooperation, trust, and the commitment of organizations that share the same vision: driving actions that create lasting benefits for society, science, and the environment.