At least a third of 270 whales stranded off Tasmania have died and more are feared to be dying. Rescuers in Tasmania freed 25 stranded pilot whales, but 90 already dead. The pilot whales were discovered in shallow waters off the west coast of the island on Monday. It’s unknown what drew the whales to the shore. Marine biologists say the rescue mission will likely take days. Whale beachings are common in the region, but one of this size has not been seen in over a decade. Tasmania last recorded a mass stranding in 2009 involving around 200 whales.
How is the rescue operation going?
A team of about 40 trained rescuers began to “re-float” a small number of whales on Tuesday morning – using equipment to push the animals off a sandbar into deeper watersn. Rescuers try to keep the whales upright to avoid disorientation. Around 40 government scientists, 20 police officers, and local fish farmers and volunteers were involved in the rescue attempt, which experts said was the hardest they had encountered.
“Normally we’re dealing with animals high and dry on the beach. This is different. We’ve got animals semi-buoyant so it probably won’t take too much to re-float them – just involves a bit of grunt,” said wildlife biologist Dr. Kris Carlyon. Once the whales are doing well in the water, the next step is to get them further out.
Dr Carlyon told reporters this could be a challenge against the strong tide. Boats might be used to help the manoeuvre. He added many of the animals may simply be too big or in an unsuitable location. Pilot whales can grow up to seven metres long and weigh up to three tonnes. He said rescuers knew from previous missions that pilot whales can survive three or four days being beached, and many in this group were in good “wet and cool” conditions. A full assessment of the group was due later on Tuesday. Officials have urged the public to stay away from the scene, saying they have enough helpers.
Scientists do not know why whales, which travel together in pods, sometimes beach themselves but they are known to follow a leader, as well as gather around an injured or distressed whale.