More than 50 pilot whales tragically died after becoming stranded on a beach in Western Australia. However, there is some optimism that the other 45 whales in the pod may be able to survive.
A pod of almost 100 long-finned pilot whales was discovered in shallow waters off Cheynes Beach, located about 400 kilometers southeast of Perth, on Tuesday.
Despite the efforts of volunteers and staff from the state’s Parks and Wildlife Service, 51 of the whales died overnight.
As of late Wednesday afternoon, the surviving whales are being closely monitored. Once they are assessed as being strong enough, they will be released back into the ocean with the help of volunteers in kayaks, who will guide them past the rocky part of the coast and into deeper waters.
“We’re optimistic—we’ve got to be optimistic in this game,” said incident controller Peter Hartley.
“It’s a highly stressful situation for all the volunteers and staff, but we have to remain hopeful.”
The Parks and Wildlife Service has received an overwhelming number of offers to help, but they have enough volunteers and have advised the public to stay away from the beach for safety reasons.
The main focus of the Incident Management Team is to ensure the safety of the staff and volunteers involved and the welfare of the whales, according to a spokesperson.
“The response zone presents a range of hazards, including distressed and potentially sick whales, sharks, waves, heavy machinery, and vessels,” stated an advisory.
Mass strandings of pilot whales are not uncommon in Australia and New Zealand.
In October of last year, around 500 pilot whales died after beaching themselves on the remote Chatham Islands in New Zealand.
Scientists are still not fully certain why mass strandings occur. However, pilot whales, which can grow to more than six meters in length, are highly sociable creatures. They may follow their pod-mates who stray into dangerous waters.
Bec Wellard, a marine mammal scientist at Project Orca, explained that the reasons behind whale strandings are still unknown.
“We still don’t know why—if we did, we might be able to prevent it,” she told AFP.
“But with pilot whales, they often strand en masse. An individual whale might be ill or in trouble, and the rest of the pod follows, leading to a mass stranding.”
Due to the strong family bonds among pilot whales, it is important to try to refloat them together, according to Wellard. However, if the surviving whales’ health is severely compromised, a decision must be made as to whether continued efforts to refloat them would only prolong their suffering.
© 2023 AFP
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Rescuers ‘optimistic’ for surviving stranded whales in Australia (2023, July 26)
retrieved 26 July 2023
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