A controversial Spanish dolphin trainer who was coming to the US to work at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta has gone missing . Jose Luis Barbero , 59 , can allegedly be seen hitting and kicking dolphins in videos that caught the attention of animal protection groups , but he was still hired as a vice president at the aquarium . The aquarium 's newest hire , who was working on the resort island of Mallorca in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Spain , has vanished . Scroll down for video . Dolphin trainer Jose Luis Barbero , who was just hired by the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta , has gone missing . Before he vanished , videos of Barbero , 59 , ( rear ) allegedly hitting and kicking dolphins surfaced on the internet . After the videos ( pictured above ) started popping up on the web , Barbero began receiving death threats . Barbero went missing before another video accusing him of abusing dolphins was released yesterday , according to 11 Alive . He was last seen on Tuesday leaving his home , WSB TV reported . Balearic Islands emergency services are continuing to search for him . Georgia Aquarium CEO Mike Leven said , 'We are very concerned . 'We hope he turns up soon and that everything is all right . Our thoughts are with him and his family . ' According to Leven , Barbero received death threats after the videos surfaced . The embattled trainer did respond to the videos on Facebook . In a translated post he said : ' I believe a response is needed to this brutal and cowardly campaign against my profession . ' I can only say from my lawyers ' recommendations that this video is a montage created to provoke a campaign challenging my professionalism over 35 years . ' A former FBI agent was also hired by the Georgia Aquarium to travel to Spain as part of the investigation . Barbero of Spain went missing before another video accusing him of abusing dolphins was released yesterday . The most recent video allegedly shows Barbero being aggressive towards dolphins during a training session at a theme park in Spain . Animal advocacy group SOSdelfines said the videos are 'meant to show how captive dolphins are treated ' , according to the Dodo . The aquarium has questioned whether the videos of Barbero are authentic and used the terms 'extremely questionable ' and 'crudely edited ' to describe them . Aquarium leaders claimed to have 'thoroughly reviewed and vetted' Barbero as a candidate and also cited that he has 35 years of professional experience . Experts were brought in to analyze the content of the videos . A former FBI agent was also hired by the aquarium to travel to Spain as part of the investigation . It is unclear what Barbero 's job status is at the moment , but he it appears he is still a consultant and not a full-time employee of the aquarium . The Georgia Aquarium maintains that it has a zero tolerance policy against the mistreatment of animals . Animal advocacy group SOSdelfines said the videos are 'meant to show how captive dolphins are treated ' The aquarium released a statement about the Barbero investigation on Friday afternoon . It said : 'Our search for truth into the allegations against Jose Luis Barbero continues . 'Until our investigation is complete , we will not make any decisions regarding his employment , so at this time , Mr. Barbero remains in Spain . 'We are committed to making decisions based on factual information and very thorough analysis . 'We have a zero tolerance policy against the mistreatment of animals and continue to investigate every aspect of this matter . 'We appreciate your patience and support as we sort through this difficult situation . ' It seems that Barbero is still a consultant and not a full-time employee of the aquarium at this time .
Jose Luis Barbero has gone missing from island of Mallorca near Spain . He was due to start work as vice president at Georgia Aquarium Tuesday . The 59-year-old was allegedly seen badly mistreating dolphins in videos . After the videos surfaced , he reportedly began receiving death threats . Barbero was last seen leaving his home on this month and search continues . Aquarium has a zero tolerance policy towards mistreatment of animals .