A wildlife sanctuary and rescue centre has defended allowing more than a dozen people to pose at once for in-water pictures with a tamed dolphin.
Coffs Coast Wildlife Sanctuary, which was saved from imminent closure by a new mum in October, offers tourists the chance to get up close with dolphins Zippy, Bella or Jet in twice-daily interactions.
But concerns for the highly intelligent animals were raised after images of a work Christmas celebration organised by a key donor were posted online, showing 13 people in the water standing behind two dolphins.
The park normally restricts in-water groups to seven people.
"One of the big things is the animals have no choice in this," Rosemary Elliott, the president of animal welfare organisation Sentient, told AAP.
"We have no evidence that they want to do this - I suspect they don't.
"They're doing it because if you watch carefully, they're constantly being rewarded with food."
Emma Hurst, who led a successful push in 2021 to ban captive dolphin breeding in NSW, called swim-with-dolphin experiences "disgusting" and said Australians did not support the use of animals for entertainment.
"Wild animals are not a party gimmick," the Animal Justice MP said.
"The new owners at this facility have forgotten these are sentient animals."
But park manager Tiga Cross rejected suggestions the animals were not treated with the utmost care, including during the swim and splash sessions that formed part of their daily mental stimulation needs.
The unusually large group formed momentarily after two separate sessions requested a group photo.
"(The dolphins) have got the access to leave at any point," Ms Cross told AAP.
"If they swim off, that's it, everyone out of the water.
"We never, ever force them to do anything."
Experts including those put forward by animal welfare groups deemed 35-year-old Zippy and teenaged Bella and Jet were in either excellent or optimal welfare, with minor improvements including to the pool's colour implemented, she said.
Ms Cross remains open to a proposal from the park's previous owners and dolphin welfare groups for a sea sanctuary near the Coffs Harbour breakwall but questioned if the money could be spent on other animal welfare activities.
Since buying the park from administrators last year and turning it into a not-for-profit, the long-time staffer has charted a path towards developing a native land animal rescue arm.
The park would also build permanent homes for those deemed unsuitable for release.
Its marine rescue arm recently saved 18 turtles in a week and was called in for a large whale stranded on the Clarence Coast.
Local MP Gurmesh Singh defended the welfare record of the park - one of the region's top tourist destinations.
"It has high standards of animal welfare and I know the new owners are extremely invested in ensuring the best welfare for their animals," he told AAP.
"Regardless of the high standards of the Wildlife Sanctuary, there's always an element of protesters that are causing trouble and are unwilling to see both sides of the story and the good work the wildlife sanctuary does in our local community."
