The Mediterranean's first sanctuary for dolphins that have lived in captivity will open off Italy next year, as demand for re-homing rises with the closure of marine parks across Europe.

"We must develop a new model for managing dolphins in a natural but supervised environment," Carmelo Fanizza, head of the San Paolo Dolphin Refuge, told AFP.

Located off the coast of Taranto in the southern Italian region of Puglia, the sanctuary still needs a final green light from the government.

But the site will be ready by the end of this month and the first dolphins are expected to arrive "no later than May or June 2026", Fanizza said.

Animal rights concerns have driven countries such as Canada and France to ban the capture of dolphins, porpoises and whales, while growing numbers of marine parks

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