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RESCUERS FACED A race against time to save nearly 200 whales trapped in a remote Australian port, hoping to prevent the death toll from rising further after releasing “a small number” of the stranded mammals.
Scientists said two large groups of long-finned pilot whales were trapped on sandbanks in Macquarie Harbor, on Tasmania’s rugged and sparsely populated west coast.
Images from the scene showed a shallow body of water, filled with dozens of large slippery black mammals maneuvering into space.
Around 60 people, including volunteers and local fish farm workers, are involved in the rescue attempt and could be seen wading through the water to catch up with the whales and float them in deeper passages.
Government marine biologist Kris Carlyon said that “about a third” of the 270 animals were dead as of late yesterday, and that rescuing the survivors would be a “challenging” task that would likely take several days.
But there was hope that today’s first rescue efforts were already bearing fruit, according to the official leading the operation.
“We have now successfully released a small number that appear to have been left at sea, and now we are expanding that approach,” said Park and Wildlife Service manager Nic Deka.
Although mass whale strandings occur relatively frequently in Tasmania, such a large group has not been seen in the area for more than a decade.
The animals are only accessible by boat, which limits the number of rescuers who can reach them.
They are battling cold and rainy conditions as well as unusual harbor tides, which are dictated by barometric pressure.
“In terms of mass whale stranding in Tasmania, this is the most complicated,” Carlyon told reporters in the nearby town of Strahan.
However, Carlyon said that many of the partially submerged whales should be able to survive for the several days it would take his team to complete the task, in part due to inclement weather.
“It’s pretty ugly for people on the ground, but as far as whales are concerned, it’s ideal: it keeps them wet, it keeps them cool,” he said.
Carlyon said rescuers would still have to “classify” the whales, prioritizing the healthiest and most accessible.
‘Notorious whale trap’
Most of a group of 30 people on a nearby beach were found dead yesterday, while another 60 whales on the shoals are also believed to have died since then.
Once the whales return to deeper waters, Carlyon said, the biggest challenge will be getting the social creatures out of the sandbar-riddled harbor and back into the open ocean.
Scientists said it was unclear what caused the latest stranding, but Carlyon suggested the pod may have strayed after feeding near shore or following a whale or two stranding.
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Karen Stockin, an expert on marine mammals at New Zealand’s Massey University, said Tasmania was a “particular hotspot” for stranding pilot whales in large herds.
“It appears to be a notorious whale trap … you tend to have these mass stranding events there,” he told AFP.
Stockin said that while pilot whales were typically more resilient than other whale species, rescuers faced a race against time as mammals can overheat, their muscles deteriorate and their organs crush outside of their natural environment.
“Time is never your friend,” he said. “So, without a doubt, the faster the rescue missions, the more likely there is a greater (chance) of survival.”
Mike Double, director of the Tasmanian-based Australian Marine Mammal Center, said it was “tragic” that such a “massive” pod had been stranded, but other whales had previously been saved from the same location.
“The state team responsible for responding is very experienced and will work incredibly hard to get the best possible result,” he said.
© – AFP 2020
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