The annual duck release and swim in Can Picafort, postponed from 15 August due to rough sea, went ahead at midday today, with over 1,000 rubber ducks the prizes for the swimmers who dived in from by the Hotel Mar y Paz. There were rumours, as every year, of real ducks being released, but none were: the Guardia Civil were out in force on land and sea to make sure that none were.
The ban on real ducks, in place since 2007, has been one that the town hall in Santa Margalida has accepted only reluctantly. It continues to wish to reintroduce the ducks, which had been a tradition from the 1930s before the town hall was forced to adhere with animal-protection legislation outlawing the practice. Mayor Martí Torres says that 90% of the people of Can Picafort want real ducks reinstated.