VENICE, Nov 10 — A wild dolphin, nicknamed “Mimmo” by the local press, has become a regular visitor in the waters off Venice ‘s St. Mark’s Square, captivating tourists but raising concerns about its safety amid heavy marine traffic.

Dolphins are rare visitors to the UNESCO World Heritage city’s lagoon, though two were spotted in March 2021 during COVID-19 restrictions that had reduced boat activity.

Mimmo, believed to have entered the lagoon in late June, has been dodging the water buses, taxis, and gondolas in the busy St. Mark’s Basin area since last month, according to marine biologist Luca Mizzan, head of Venice’s Natural History Museum.

Unusually, the dolphin remains near St. Mark’s even when it has fed and appears unfazed by the noise of the boats and crowds, Mizzan told RAI pu

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