Volunteers in western Australia have managed to rescue only five of 150 short-finned pilot whales that became stranded on a beach.
Supplied image of more than 150 short-finned pilot whales who became beached at Hamelin Bay, in Western Australia's south, Friday, March 23, 2018. (WA Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Parks and Wildlife Service/AAP via AP)
The surviving whales, up to 5 1/2 meters (16.4 feet) long, have been moved to deeper waters, but Parks and Wildlife Service Incident Controller Jeremy Chick warned Saturday that whales often return to dry land after mass stranding events.
He's asking the public at Hamelin Bay, south of Perth, to keep an eye in case they spot a stranded whale.
A sixth whale was freed into shallow waters overnight but it beached again and had to be euthanized.
Authorities said they will continue to sweep the surrounding beaches by air and sea on Saturday. Rescue efforts were hampered by dead whales in the water, rocky terrain and rough seas.
The carcasses were removed from the beach and authorities took DNA samples in an attempt to collect clues about why whales strand.
In 2009, more than 80 whales and dolphins died on a beach in Hamelin Bay.
The biggest mass stranding of whales in Western Australia happened in 1996 in Dunsborough. That year, 320 long-finned pilot whales beached themselves.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Up to 160 long-finned pilot whales beached on the western Australian coast Thursday and at least 26 died before wildlife authorities could begin a rescue attempt, officials said.
A team of wildlife officers, marine scientists and veterinarians had reached the scene at Toby’s Inlet near the tourist town of Dunsborough, the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions said in a statement.
The stranded whales were from four pods spread across 500 meters (1,640 feet) of shore, the department said.
An additional 20 whales were in a pod about 1.5 kilometer (almost a mile) offshore and 110 whales formed a pod closer to the beach, it said.
“Our team is making every effort to safely respond and keep volunteers and staff safe, while also acting in the best interests of the whales,” the statement sad.
“Our team is assessing the conditions of the whales that have stranded on the beach. Our teams on the water are trying to keep the animals together and away from the beach,” the statement added.
Almost 100 long-finned pilot whales died or were euthanized after a two-day rescue attempt last July in a mass stranding on Cheynes Beach near the former whaling station of Albany, 355 kilometers (220 miles) southeast of Dunsborough.
Dunsborough is 285 kilometers (177 miles) by road south of Perth, Western Australia state's capital and largest city.
Based on previous strandings including the Cheynes Beach event last year, euthanizing the beached whales is usually the most humane outcome, the department said.
“We always hope for the best outcome,” the statement said.
Regional wildlife officer Pia Courtis said the whales were believed to have become stranded early Thursday.
She said the pod of 110 whales was “sticking together offshore” and was likely to come toward the beach.
“Unfortunately the outcome for our pilot whales once they strand on the beach is generally not good. We have high numbers of animals that end up dying,” Courtis said in a video statement.
Officials had earlier urged the public not to try to rescue the whales on their own.
“We know people want to help, but we asked that people please do not attempt to rescue the animals without direction of DBCA staff as this may cause further injury, and distress to the animals and hinder a coordinated rescue effort,” the Parks and Wildlife Service of Western Australia said in a statement.
This image supplied by Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, shows a pod of pilot whales stranded on a beach at Toby's Inlet in Western Australia, Thursday, April 25, 2024. Dozens of pilot whales have beached on the western Australian coast and wildlife authorities were attempting to rescue them, a state government said on Thursday.(Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions via AP)
