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Some 477 pilot whales have died after stranding on two remote New Zealand beaches in recent days, officials said.
Daren Grover, from the Project Jonah rescue charity, said all the stranded whales were unable to refloat and either died naturally or were euthanized in a “heartbreaking” loss.
The whales stranded in the Chatham Islands, home to about 600 people, about 500 miles east of New Zealand’s main island.
The Department of Conservation said 232 whales were stranded on Tupuangi Beach on Friday and another 245 in Waiher Bay on Monday.
About 200 pilot whales in Australia died after stranding on a remote Tasmanian beach two weeks ago.
“These incidents are difficult, challenging circumstances,” the Department of Conservation wrote in a Facebook post. “While they are natural phenomena, they are still sad and difficult for those who help.”
Mr Grover said due to the remote location and the presence of sharks in the surrounding waters, they were unable to mobilise volunteers to try to get the whales back afloat as they have done with past strandings.
“We are not actively refloating whales in the Chatham Islands because of the risk of shark attacks on humans and the whales themselves, so euthanasia is the most merciful option,” said Dave Lundquist, marine technology advisor for the Conservation Department. ) Say.
Large numbers of stranded pilot whales are fairly common in New Zealand, especially during the summer months.
Scientists don’t know exactly what causes whale strandings, although their positioning systems seem to be confused by gently sloping sand.
Mr Grover said whales around the Chatham Islands had a lot of food and as they swam close to land they quickly found themselves moving from very deep to shallow waters.
“They were relying on echolocation, but it didn’t tell them they were running out of water,” Mr Grover added.
“They get closer and closer to the shore, they become disoriented. Then the tide will fall under them, and before they know it, they’re stuck on the beach.”
Mr Grover said that due to the remoteness of the beach, the whale carcasses were not buried or dragged into the sea as usual, but were left to decompose.
“Nature is a great recycler, and all the energy stored in all whales will soon return to nature,” he said.
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