The video of an endangered giant manta ray, roughly taken out of its habitat, has sparked public outrage.
The now-viral video, which was shared on Facebook, was recorded by Denis Richard, the founder and CEO of Water Planet USA, a dolphin swim tour company, earlier this month, per The Independent.
Five people on a white boat were captured pulling out an endangered giant manta ray and placing it in a small pool.
“Unfortunately, on todays tour- we witnessed a heartbreaking scene. This video shows a giant manta ray—perfectly healthy—harvested just off Panama City Beach under a permit held by Sea World. It’s heartbreaking and unacceptable.,” the video’s caption read.
“I was horrified, and everybody on board was really upset. I mean, he was in pain. That animal was in pain,” Richard told Local 10 News.
It is reported that the giant manta ray will be taken to SeaWorld, Abu Dhabi, which was opened back in May 2023. It houses various marine species, does not have any Orcas that can be of threat to them, and is one of the first outside the United States. It is the largest indoor marine-themed park, but as per Richard, that is still not a good enough reason to pull out the animal from their habitat and induce torture.
“The risks of that manta ray being traumatized and possibly dying in that process are very high because they are a very sensitive species,” Richard told the Orlando Sentinel.
Shannon Knowles, a spokesperson of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission told People, “The take of manta rays is prohibited in state waters. However, the capture of the ray shown in the video was permitted by a Marine Special Activity License that allowed for the take of one manta ray for exhibition and education purposes.”
People stated that a license was given on July 12, 2025, to bring the Manta for an exhibition for the public, and even the authorities have confirmed the same.
“As a citizen of this country, you have the right and the moral obligation to address the issue with your local representatives, of our Government issuing permits for the cruel and inhumane capture of ocean mega fauna such as the giant manta ray for public display, especially if our marine resources are exported overseas for gainful purposes,” Richard told People.
“These permits are a disgrace and an insult to our country’s and the world’s scientific community,” Richard added.
While no one from the dolphin crew came on video but voices were heard saying, “Let him go! You should be ashamed of yourselves!”
According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the giant manta ray is an “endangered” species, making their need for conservation the call of the hour.
Mantas are often tagged as the most intelligent fish. What makes them different from the rest of the fishes is that it has the largest brain-to-weight ratio, hence displaying long-term memory abilities that are only seen in certain apes, elephants, and dolphins, a report by Original Diving suggests.