[ad_1]
A group of nearly 145 dead pilot whales died after being stranded on a beach on Stewart Island, New Zealand.
The animals were discovered by a stroller late Saturday, scattered along Mason Bay Beach.
The authorities said that half of the whales were already dead at that time, while the other half had been shot down because it would have been too difficult to save them.
In separate incidents, 12 right whales and one sperm whale also stranded in New Zealand over the weekend.
"A heartbreaking decision"
Pilot whales stranded in two groups about 2 km from each other on an isolated beach of Rakiura or Stewart Island, off the coast of the island. South Island.
"Unfortunately, the chances of re-circulating the remaining whales are extremely low," said Ren Leppens of the Regional Department of Conservation (DOC) in a statement.
"The remoteness, the lack of nearby staff and the deterioration of the whales' condition meant that the most humane thing to do was to euthanize."
"However, it's still a heartbreaking decision to make."
The DOC said in a statement that strandings of whales were not uncommon in New Zealand and that there were about 85 incidents a year. In most cases, however, it is a single stranded animal, not an entire pod.
It is unclear why whales and dolphins fail, the agency said. Possible reasons could be illness, navigation errors, low tide or being chased by a predator.
Also over the weekend, 12 dwarf whales were found stranded at the northern tip of the North Island. Four of them are dead.
It is hoped that the remaining eight can still be saved and efforts are underway in the marine mammal charity project, the Jonah Project.
The group announced its intention to float the whales on Tuesday and asked volunteers to help it.
On another beach on the North Island, a sperm whale died Saturday morning.
Click here for the latest political news
Source link
