[ad_1]
SYDNEY: Rescuers trying to free a pod of stranded whales on the Australian island of Tasmania said on Wednesday (September 23) they had found another 200 stranded mammals, bringing the total to 470 and making it one of the most stranded great of the country.
As a rescue effort began its third day on the rugged west coast of the south island, rescuers said they saw another large group of pilot whales during an aerial survey of the remote port of Macquarie, and most were believed to be dead.
“They did not appear to be in a condition to warrant the rescue,” Nic Deka, regional manager for the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service, told a news conference.
“Most of them appeared to be dead. If they can be saved, we will send teams there to do that.”
READ: Rescuers race to save 180 stranded whales in Australia
The discovery makes it the largest beach in Australia in modern times and draws attention to a natural phenomenon that scientists say has no known cause.
In 1996, 320 pilot whales appeared off the coast of Western Australia, in what was then reported to be the largest mass stranding in the country.
About 600 pilot whales beached off nearby New Zealand in 2017. Pilot whales are a species of oceanic dolphin that grows up to 7 meters long and can weigh up to 3 tons.
Of the 270 remaining whales stranded off Tasmania, at least 90 have died and rescuers have released about 25 since arriving at the site about 200 kilometers northwest of the state capital Hobart on Monday.
The team of about 65 state park workers, fishermen and volunteers expected to release more whales on Wednesday, a process that involves wading waist-deep in icy water, slingshing the animals and guiding them out of the harbor with a boat.
“We’re not at a point where we’re considering euthanasia … but it’s always something we have in the back of our minds,” said Kris Carlyon, a wildlife biologist with the state government’s conservation agency.
“We are all optimistic about getting more out of today. We still have high hopes.”
