Biologists preparing to remove manta ray from close to a Mallorca beach

There was a red flag for a time on Friday

The red flag at Illetes beach was lowered on Friday afternoon | Photo: Alejandro Sepúlveda

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Biologists from the Palma Aquarium Foundation located the manta ray off the beach in Illetes on Saturday morning and were able to "neutralise" it. They are treating it in the sea and are trying to figure out the best way of removing it from the water and take it to the Aquarium.

A red flag was raised at the beach on Friday morning after the manta ray was sighted. Calvia Town Hall lowered the flag on Friday afternoon.

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There have been other recent sightings of manta rays close to the Balearic coasts. Aniol Esteban, a marine biologist at the Marilles Foundation, says: "This is exceptional. Nothing like this has ever happened before. It's rare, and we don't yet know what's causing it."

Manta rays are pelagic animals, accustomed to swimming in the open sea and near the surface. "Their appearance so close to the coast indicates that they could be sick or disoriented." This could lead to them running aground and dying.