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A total of 480 pilot whales have been found stranded off Tasmania’s west coast since last Monday.
In the first phase on Monday, 260 pilot whales were found on a beach in the Macquarie Heads area. At least 90 of them died. Several other whales were dying. More than 200 beached whales were found after the rescue operation began.
Nick Deca, manager of Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Services, confirmed Wednesday that all 200 whales found in the second phase had died. In all, the total number of dead whales is 360, he said.
A record 480 whales beached off the coast of Tasmania
90 whales beached off the Tasman coast
According to the BBC, rescuers were able to rescue 50 whales on Wednesday afternoon and are trying to rescue another 30.
Tasmanian government officials say the rescue operation will continue as long as one whale survives.
A 60-person rescue team is conducting a whale rescue operation. They are dragging live whales back into the sea. Rescuers say 50 whales have been returned to the sea.
It is unknown at this time what caused the whales to arrive. The most common appearance of this species of whale is on the beach. This is believed to be the largest case of so many whales caught together in the Australian record.
The largest whale catch in Tasmania was in 1935. At that time, 294 pilot whales were stranded ashore. Then there was the whale capture incident in 2009, when some 200 pilot whales were trapped.
More than 80 per cent of whale traps in Australia occur in Tasmania.
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