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What makes over 200 whales die in strandings over several days?
There were two pods stranded at the southern end of Mason Bay, approximately 2km apart.
As
many as 145 pilot whales dead after mass stranding on Stewart Island
26
November, 2018
As
many as 145 pilot whales have died after a mass stranding in Mason
Bay on Stewart Island.
A
hiker reportedly spotted the whales on Saturday and notified
Department of Conservation staff at 10.30pm.
There were two pods stranded at the southern end of Mason Bay, approximately 2km apart.
DoC
Rakiura operations manager Ren Leppens said half of the whales had
already died by the time they were found and due to the condition of
the remaining whales and the remote, difficult to access location,
the decision was made to euthanise the remainder.
"Sadly,
the likelihood of being able to successfully refloat the remaining
whales was extremely low. The remote location, lack of nearby
personnel and the whales' deteriorating condition meant the most
humane thing to do was to euthanise."
"However,
it's always a heart-breaking decision to make."
Marine
mammal strandings are a relatively common occurrence on New Zealand
shores, with DoC responding to an average 85 incidents a year –
mostly of single animals.
On
Sunday 10 pygmy killer whales stranded at Ninety Mile Beach. Two have
since died and attempts were being made to refloat the others.
It
was the second stranding in the Far North in three days after a 15m
sperm whale died on Tokeroa Beach on Saturday, after washing ashore
on Friday.
The
strandings are unlikely to be related
More
than 50 whales dead after another mass stranding
TVNZ,
30
November, 2018
Fifty
pilot whales have been found dead after a mass stranding in the
Chatham Islands.
Initially,
up to 80 whales were found beached at the southern end of Hanson Bay
near Owenga township yesterday evening, but it was too late in the
day to help the animals, the Department of Conservation said today.
When
staff showed up at the beach this morning, they were relieved to find
that about 30 or 40 of the whales had re-floated themselves without
human intervention. However, another 51 whales remained - all of them
dead except for one.
The
remaining whale was euthanised by DOC staff.
"It
was the most humane thing to do," said DOC Chatham Islands
Operations Manager Dave Carlton. "This is always an awful
decision to have to make."
The
stranding comes only days after 145 pilot whales died on the shore of
Stewart Island on Monday..
And
eight pygmy whales beached themselves on Ninety Mile Beach in
Northland last Sunday.
Twenty-eight
whales dead in 'inexplicable' beaching in Victoria
28
November, 2018
Wildlife
authorities have said it’s unclear what caused twenty-eight whales
to become stranded at a remote beach in Far East Gippsland.
The
mass beaching at the Croajingolong National Park between Petrel Point
and Rame Head was first spotted by aircraft pilot Grant Shorland
senior yesterday about 4pm.
Three
wildlife experts that were flown in by helicopter found one dead
humpback whale and 23 dead pilot whales.
Four
of the pilot whales were earlier in a critical condition, but died
this afternoon; two were euthanised, while the remaining two died of
natural causes.
Pilot
Grant Shorland said he was shocked and saddened by the mass
stranding, which is the state’s worst in more than 30 years.
“I’ve
never seen whales like that before. We see a lot of other stuff on
the beach, but not a big pod of whales like that.”
The
cause of the beaching remains unclear, but marine mammal expert Dr
Kate Charlton-Robb said seismic activity of illness may have been a
factor.
Incident
Controller with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and
Planning (DELWP), Michael Turner, earlier told
9News.com.au this morning he’d never seen a beaching of this scale
in 32 years with the department.
“The
whales are in a very remote part of the national park that’s only
really accessible on foot,” Mr Turne said.
"I
recently responded to a beaching in Point Hicks, but that was only
one whale.
“We
encourage people to steer clear of the area for safety reasons and to
ensure the efforts of crews are not impacted,” he said.
Sharks
may be more active in the area.
Wildlife
officers will remain in the area over the coming days, and will take
samples for research to better understand why they beached themselves
and how it can be prevented in the future.
The
mass beaching comes just days after two massive pods of up to 145
pilot whales washed ashore on a beach in southern New Zealand.
Many
died before help arrived, while the rest were euthanised by
conservation workers.
New
Zealand's Department of Conservation has released heartbreaking
footage showing dozens of pilot whales sprawled helplessly in Mason
Bay on the west coast of Stewart Island.
