Story By: Jonathan Macias, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
Video Credit: CEN
This is the moment a helicopter pilot films a series of mysterious circles imprinted in the sand on a UNESCO protected island that has been attributed to alien life by netizens.
The mysterious circles were filmed among the mangroves near Playa Bahamita on Isla del Carmen in the north-western Mexican state of Baja California, and the footage was widely shared on social media.
In the video, a helicopter pilot films a series of circles joined by straight lines imprinted on the sand.
Reports said the footage was filmed by a pilot of the charter carrier Aeroservicios Especializados S.A. de C.V. which offers commercial helicopter trips.
After the video was posted on social media, many netizens attributed the circles to creative aliens.
However, researcher Arturo Zaldivar Jimenez of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) said the circles are part of a university project launched 10 years ago to restore the mangrove area.
He added that 600 hectares have been recovered since the project began.
Zaldivar Jimenez told local media: “They are circular elevations which are part of the restoration work we are carrying out. We call them ‘cakes’ because of their shape. They help the mangroves to replenish in a natural way. This is why the units in the video were created.”
The mangrove region reportedly started to dry out during the 1950s due to natural causes, damaging the soil in the area.
The island is protected within the Loreto Bay National Park which is part of UNESCO’s ‘Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California’ Mexican World Heritage Site.
YouTube user ‘Antonio Cedeno’ said: “They claim the circles are part of a restoration project, but that is a strange explanation. I think they are a message.”
Netizen ‘Avelino Gomez’ wrote: “Identical circles appear without a decent explanation of who made them or why. I suspect aliens were involved.”
The ViralTab page is created by and dedicated to professional, independent freelance journalists. It is a place for us to showcase our work. When our news is sold to our media partners, we will include the link here.
