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Nearly 145 pilot whales died after being stranded on a secluded beach in New Zealand on Saturday night.
A hiker from Mason Bay, on isolated Stewart Island, discovered the two groups of whales, located about one kilometer apart.
About half of the whales were already dead by the time they were found, leaving New Zealand Conservation Department officials with the "heartbreaking decision" to euthanize the rest.
"Unfortunately, the chances of being able to put the remaining whales back on the road were extremely low," said Ren Leppens, the department's operations manager. "The remote location, the lack of nearby staff and the whale's deteriorating state of affairs meant that the most humane thing to do was euthanasia."
CONSERVATION DEPARTMENT OF NEW ZEALAND Nearly half of the whales were already dead at the time of their discovery.
The stranding of marine mammals is a relatively common phenomenon on New Zealand's coasts, according to a DOC statement.
Indeed, a number of whales – including 10 Pygmy orcs, two of which died – were stranded on the coast of the country over the weekend. Two sperm whales, including a female pygmy, also died during the weekend in separate incidents.
CONSERVATION DEPARTMENT OF NEW ZEALAND Officials made the decision to euthanize the remaining whales.
As previously reported by HuffPost, nearly 700 whales stranded on the Farewell Spit of South Island in 2017, becoming the third largest whale strand since records began.
Nearly half of those who failed were declared dead.
There is no clear answer as to why marine mammals are stranded. According to Australian National Geographic, a multitude of factors, including navigational errors, diseases or extreme weather conditions, may be involved.
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