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Up to 90 pilot whales have died stranded on a sandbar off the Australian coast of Tasmania. Rescuers continue to try to ‘float’ those who are still alive.
Some 270 whales were trapped on sandbars in three different areas off Tasmania’s west coast on Tuesday, about 190 kilometers from Hobart.
A rescue operation at the three stranded sites began Tuesday morning to try to re-float the animals. Rescuers were able to free a “small number” of them.
Nic Deka, Incident Controller for the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service, said in a statement that those saved appeared to have been left at sea.
Breakfast
Around 270 whales are trapped on sandbanks in three different areas off Tasmania.
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“[We] now we are broadening that approach, ”Deka said.
The large and challenging area in which the whales are found has hampered rescue efforts. Marine Conservation Program wildlife biologist Dr. Kris Carlyon said the best approach was to start with the animals that had the best chance of survival.
“Some animals may just be too big or in the wrong place to treat,” Carlyon said.
Carlyon predicted that the entire rescue operation, which includes about 60 people and nearby salmon farming companies, could take days.
“If conditions remain the same, they can survive for quite a few days.”
The rescue team is using specialized equipment to help free the animals, but the challenge will be what to do with the animals that have been successfully refloated, Carlyon said.
“Will we have to herd them out or will we have to move them by other means?”
Brodie Weeding / Pool Photo via AP
Pilot whales lie stranded on a sandbar near Strahan, Australia, on Monday, September 21.
Mass whale strandings off the coast of Tasmania are not uncommon, and researchers label the state a “global hotspot” for strandings. ABC News reported.
According to NPRTasmania has more whale strandings than any other Australian state, and Macquarie Harbor, where pilot whales are currently found, is one of the most common stranding sites.
Brodie Weeding / Pool Photo via AP
Government marine conservation personnel have been dispatched to the site to attempt to rescue pilot whales stranded off the coast of Tasmania.
Pilot whales are known to be sociable and often travel in groups.
Earlier this year in New Zealand, four pilot whales were stranded on the Matarangi Spit off Coromandel. Last year, four other pilot whales died after being stranded on a Northland beach.
While in 2018, a massive stranding saw some 145 pilot whales die off Stewart Island.
