Rescuers in New Zealand were able to refloat about 100 of the 400 pilot whales that got stranded on a remote beach at Farewell Spit at the tip of South Island on Friday, Feb. 10.
Many of the whales died but on Saturday, volunteers managed to refloat those that survived with the hope that the marine animals would swim back out to sea.
About 300 Of The Stranded Whales Died
About 300 of the whales died but others were reported swimming in the bay near the beach and have already joined a new pod of pilot whales. Andrew Lamason, regional manager of the Department of Conservation, said there is still chance that some of the whales may come back to the beach but the new whales could hopefully lead them out into the deeper waters.
"We are trying to swim the whales out to sea and guide them but they don't really take directions, they go where they want to go," Lamason said. "Unless they get a couple of strong leaders who decide to head out to sea, the remaining whales will try and keep with their pod on the beach."
Latest Rescue Effort Is Promising
Rescuers managed to refloat several dozens of the animals on Friday but many of the whales beached themselves again overnight. The morning high tide on Saturday, however, made the latest rescue efforts more promising.
Improved weather and clear waters helped with the rescue attempt as about 100 volunteers formed a human chain in the water to prevent the animals from beaching again, an effort that comes with risk.
Volunteers were aware about the possibility of sharks and stingrays since one of the dead whales has what appears to be bite marks consistent with that of a shark. No shark sighting, however, has been reported.
The rescue effort is now paused and officials are starting to focus on the task of disposing of hundreds of large and heavy whale carcasses.
Officials are considering tethering the remains to stakes or a boat in shallow tidal water where these can decompose, but the problem with towing the carcasses out to the sea or leaving them there is that the decomposing bodies could become gaseous and buoyant, which could cause problems when these float into populated bays.
Whale Trap
It is not the first time that a mass stranding of whales occurred in Farewell Split. Experts said that the shallow coastline of what's been dubbed as a whale trap appears to confuse whales, affecting their ability to navigate and go back into the sea once they get close.
Whale strandings occur in New Zealand more often than in most other countries in the world but the event on Friday is the third biggest in the nation's recorded history. In 1918, about 1,000 pilot whales were beached on the Chatham Island. In 1985, about 450 of these marine animals got stranded in Auckland.
It is not clear what causes whales to beach themselves albeit there are a number of potential reasons. The mass stranding may have something to do with the animals trying to rescue their beached kin. The whales that become beached send out distress signals to attract the attention of other members of their pod, which can also get stranded because of a receding tide.
