First modification: Last modification:
Hobart (Australia) (AFP) – Around 200 pilot whales have died after being stranded on a wave-swept beach on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, Australia, the rescue team said on September 22.
Only 35 of the roughly 230 pilot whales found on the beach the day before were still alive, Brendon Clark, chief of operations for local wildlife services, told reporters.
The aerial images of the place show dozens of these black cetaceans, also called pilot whales, lying along the sand of Ocean beach.
“We have about 35 animals alive on the beach and our primary focus this morning will be the rescue and release of these animals,” said Clark, who is leading incident management.
“Unfortunately we have a high mortality rate in this stranding. This is mainly due to the exposure conditions at Ocean Beach,” he continued.
“The environmental conditions, the waves that are on the exposed west coast, it is certainly taking its toll on the animals,” he added.
Since the animals’ discovery, locals have covered the pilot whales with blankets and doused them with buckets of water to keep them alive.
The rescue team examined the animals to choose those that had the best chance of surviving.
The cause of these mass strandings is not fully understood. Scientists suggest that it may be due to specimens that lost their way after searching for food near the coast.
Pilot whales, which can grow up to six meters, are highly social animals and follow mates who may be in danger.
Others believe that gently sloping beaches like those in Tasmania confuse the cetaceans’ sonar into thinking they are in the open ocean.
Two years ago, that same area was the scene of the stranding of almost 500 pilot whales, the largest recorded in the country. More than 300 died despite efforts to rescue them.
#whales #die #Australian #beach