Following a ‘heartbreaking’ mass stranding on two distant beaches in New Zealand, about 500 whales perished.
Project Jonah’s general manager, Daren Grover, stated that none of the 477 stranded whales could be refloated and that they all either died naturally or were euthanized. Project Jonah is a non-profit organization that aids in the rescue of whales.
The whales beached themselves on the Chatham Islands, which are located approximately 500 miles east of New Zealand’s major islands and are home to approximately 600 people.
The beach of Tupuangi Beach, Chatham Islands, in New Zealand’s Chatham Archipelago is lined with dead pilot whales.
Each of the 477 stranded whales either died naturally or was euthanized, resulting in a “heartbreaking” loss.
The whales beached themselves in the Chatham Islands, which are around 500 miles east of New Zealand’s major islands and home to about 600 people.
According to the Department of Conservation, 232 whales beached themselves at Tupuangi Beach on Friday and 245 in Waihere Bay on Monday.
Two weeks prior, over 200 pilot whales died in Australia after becoming stranded on an isolated Tasmanian beach.
The Department of Conservation noted in a Facebook post that these are difficult, demanding situations. Even if they are natural events, they are also saddening and challenging for those who are assisting.
Due to the whales’ remote location and the possibility of sharks in the surrounding seas, Grover stated that volunteers could not attempt to refloat the whales as they have in the past.
Dave Lundquist, a technical marine advisor for the conservation department, stated, “We do not actively refloat whales in the Chatham Islands due to the risk of shark attack to humans and the whales themselves, so death was the nicest alternative.”
The Department of Conservation reported that 232 whales beached themselves on Tupuangi Beach on Friday and 245 in Waihere Bay on Monday.
Two weeks earlier, around 200 pilot whales died in Australia after becoming stranded on an isolated Tasmanian beach.
The whales’ distant location and the threat of sharks in the surrounding seas prevented volunteers from attempting to refloat them, as they have in the past.
Pilot whale mass strandings are rather regular in New Zealand, particularly during the summer months.
Scientists do not know precisely what causes whales to beach, but it appears that gradually sloping sandy beaches can confound their locating systems.
According to Grover, there is a plenty of food for whales in the Chatham Islands, and when they travel closer to land, they will quickly transition from deep to shallow water.
Grover stated, “They rely on their echolocation, but it does not warn them when they are running out of water.” They approach the coast and become lost as they do so. The tide can then recede from underneath them, leaving them stranded on the beach.
Pilot whale strandings are relatively regular in New Zealand, particularly during the summer months.
Scientists do not know precisely what causes whales to beach themselves, but it appears that sandy beaches can confuse their location systems.
Due to the remote location of the beaches, the whale carcasses will not be buried or towed out to sea, as is typically done, said Grover. Instead, they will be left to decompose.
He stated, “Nature is an excellent recycler, and all the energy stored in the bodies of all the whales will be returned to nature quite quickly.”
In 2017, almost 600 pilot whales washed ashore at Farewell Spit on the South Island, with over 350 dead.
Approximately 1,000 pilot whales beached on the Chatham Islands in 1918, the largest whale stranding ever recorded.