About a hundred whales stranded in New …

One hundred pilot whales, a genus of odontocetous cetaceans in the family Delphinidae, died after being stranded over the weekend in islas Chatham, located approximately 800 kilometers from the southeast coast of New Zealand.

Due to difficulties in accessing West Beach where marine mammals, 97 pilot whales and three dolphins stranded, and other problems encountered by the operation, the first rescue teams were unable to arrive in time to save their life.

“Only 26 whales were alive at that time. Most looked very tired and that’s why they were euthanizedGovernment park ranger Jemma Welch explained, adding that there was concern that these animals would become victims of great white sharks that may have been attracted to the incident.

Among the pilot whales (“Globicephala melas”) which were euthanized, there are also two others which were stranded on Monday.

During the operation, Maori officials held a traditional ceremony on Sunday to honor the spirits of the whales, including corpses will be left on the beach so that they break down naturally.

These events are common in the Chatham Islands, where the largest recorded grounding occurred in 1918 when some 1,000 pilot whales have been trapped in this remote location.

In mid-October, at least 18 pilot whales died after being stranded off the coast of the New Zealand town of Coromandel on the North Island, while in September around 380 specimens perished in another massive stranding on the Australian island of Tasmania.

Scientists again they weren’t able to explain why Sometimes whales stray from their route and get stranded in shallow water, although the possibility of getting lost attracted to noise pollution or being guided by a disoriented group leader is considered.

Another hypothesis is climate change. Scientists believe that due to global warming, ocean temperatures are bringing prey closer to whales and forcing them to forage for food in shallow waters.

On average, more than 300 dolphins and whales are stranded on New Zealand beaches each year. According to local indigenous tribes, these incidents are increasing in number and complexity, with more deaths.