OVER 100 PILOT WHALES STRANDED ON AUSTRALIAN BEACH

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Agency Report

Following a major stranding on an Australian beach, marine biologists raced on Thursday to save over 100 pilot whales, as officials feared many would have to be put down.

Sixty-six of the pilot whales that washed up on the beach had already perished, according to Parks and Wildlife Service.

According to officials, up to 160 pilot whales became stranded in Toby’s Inlet on Thursday morning. Toby’s Inlet is roughly three hours’ drive south of Perth, the state capital.

“A team of experienced staff including wildlife officers, marine scientists, veterinarians are on site or on their way,” the Parks and Wildlife Service said in a statement.

Wildlife officers will try to guide some of the pilot whales away from the beach and into deeper water.

But the service said that “these events usually result in the beached animals having to be euthanised as the most humane outcome”.

“We always hope for the best outcome,” the wildlife service added.

Mass strandings of pilot whales are not uncommon in Australia and New Zealand.

Around 500 pilot whales died when they beached on New Zealand’s remote Chatham Islands in 2022.

Scientists do not fully understand why mass strandings occur, but some researchers think pods go off track after feeding too close to shore.

Pilot whales — which can grow to more than six metres (20 feet) long — are highly sociable, so they may follow pod-mates who stray into danger.

AFP