60 out of 80 pilot whales have died after stranding in Marion Bay, located in the southeastern region of Tasmania, Australia.
According to reports from Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the carcasses of these whales were discovered by a local fisherman early this morning.
Rescue teams are working urgently to save a few that are still alive but exhausted.
Liz Wren, a spokesperson for the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service, stated that nearly 70 whales stranded early this morning, but due to the area’s inaccessibility by road, only a few remained alive when authorities and volunteers arrived at the scene.
“We managed to rescue 10 whales. The rest have died,” Ms. Wren said. “To ensure the whales we return to the ocean do not strand again, we have sent boats to stay there until late this evening to keep them away from the shore.”
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Scene of the beach where 80 whales were stranded |
Pilot whales, which can grow up to 6 meters long, often strand in groups, a phenomenon that remains a mystery to scientists.
Researchers have proposed several hypotheses regarding this unusual behavior. “One of the theories is that whales often venture too close to the shores of turbulent waters. When threatened, they tend to signal to call other members of the pod,” Ms. Wren explained.
The often tumultuous coastline of Tasmania is one of the locations with the highest stranding rates for whales worldwide. According to local government statistics, approximately 2,800 pilot whales and 500 long-finned pilot whales had stranded in this area as of 2003.
