A real sad thing occurred during a show at a Discovery Cove in Orlando. A 30-year-old dolphin called Sharky died after he collided with another one while they were performing their acrobatic tricks in the centre of the pool. The two mammals were doing Saturday afternoon a routine that they had previously done hundreds of times before.

The collusion occurred after Sharky and the other dolphin, 13-year-old Tyler, swam into the deeper center of the pool and afterwards leapt from the water. Becca Bides, a spokeswoman for the centre explained that the reason of the accident was the fact that Sharky misjudged one of the leaps and crashed into Tyler while in flight. The female dolphin suffered head injuries and died immediately afterwards. Meanwhile Tyler was apparently uninjured, but remains to be monitored.

"This is a very unfortunate and very rare incident," Bides said. Discovery Cove opened nearly eight years ago, but this was the first accidental death of a dolphin. Visitors of the park pay some £145 for the chance to get close to the animals. The can swim with dolphins, rays and tropical fish. During the accident, the audience was in the pool watching from the shallower sides.

With the accident this weekend, discussions regarding the ethics of training animals are going to be heard. "While it is not unusual to have two animals performing at the same time, we are reviewing the situation to ensure even such a random incident does not occur again. We never had animals collide before," Bides said. Discovery Cove is a sister park of the famous SeaWorld, which has long been a target for animal rights activists who think marine parks are cruel.