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About 380 whales have died after being stranded in a cove off the coast of the Australian island of Tasmania, according to authorities.
In the remote town of Strahan, rescuers had been fighting to save the survivors Among what was thought were 270 pilot whales on Monday, from a beach and two sandbars.
However, another 200 whales were seen stranded from the air on Wednesday, less than ten kilometers south of them, according to Tasmania Park and Wildlife Service manager Nic Deka.
“From the air, they did not appear to be in a condition that warranted rescue,” Deka said. “Most of them appeared to be dead.”
The crews will be sent to the creatures by boat, to assess whether or not they can be saved, he added.
Rescuers moved about 30 of the beached whales from their original position to the open sea, however many of them were stranded again.
Authorities estimate that about a third of the original group of whales had died Monday night, with a further update expected later Wednesday.
The Australian island is the only part of the country prone to mass whale strandings, the current one being the first since 2009 to involve more than 50, and is the largest ever recorded by the government.
Pilot whales are a species of oceanic dolphin that grows up to seven meters (23 feet) long and can weigh up to three tons.
Rescuers are working to try to save the animals.
Returning them to the sea may include physically pushing the animals or using specialized tarps and pontoons to drag them into deeper water. Rescuers try to keep the whales upright to avoid disorientation.
Scientists don’t know why whales, which travel together in herds, sometimes go to the beach, but they have been known to follow a leader and gather around an injured or distressed whale.
Marine biologist Dr. Olaf Meynecke told Sky News that because whales are loyal to each other, they could be following each other in danger.
“These animals use sonar and go into shallow bays and completely lose orientation,” he said.
