Humpback whale spotted in Cabrera National Park
The Balearic Department of the Environment has reported that a humpback whale has been seen in the waters around the Cabrera Archipelago, to the south east of Mallorca. This is the first time that a humpback has been recorded in the seas around the Balearic Islands for 21 years.
The whale was photographed and filmed on 24 Spetmber by a sailing boat, and the images were verified by experts at the University of Barcelona. Four other sightings of a humpback whale have been reported this September in Italian and Spanish coastal areas. The species has been under protection in the North Atlantic and it is hoped that numbers will subsequently increase, leading to many more future sightings around the Mediterranean.
Other large whales, such as the sperm whale and the finback whale are regular features around the Cabrera National Park. Cabrera is a hour hour boat ride from Colonia St Jordi, in the south-east of Mallorca, and is an important protected area for sea birds and endemic species. Further information of Mallorca's National Parks can be found in Nature Reserves in Mallorca.
