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Photo: Whales in Tasmania (CNN.com)
Off the west coast of Tasmania, Australia, some 380 longtip pilot whales have died in one of the largest releases on land. Rescue teams managed to rescue 50 whales.
Write about this BBC.
At the same time, there are still live whales off the coast. Local authorities said rescue work will continue “as long as there are live animals.”
“While they’re still alive and in the water, they still have hope, but they get more tired over time,” said Nick Deka, regional manager for the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service.
He also added that rescuers will focus on removing hundreds of whale carcasses scattered along the coast. A plan is still being developed to clean the shores of corpses.
It is not entirely clear why the whales were stranded. This species is known to be prone to being washed ashore. According to scientists, whales are attracted to land by fish and lose their orientation.
Also, pilot whales are known to travel in groups. Researchers speculate that one lead individual may have mistakenly led the entire group to shore.
RBC-Ukraine also wrote that powerful waves in the coastal region of the Australian state of New South Wales led to coastal erosion. Some of the elite houses in the resort town of Huamberal were destroyed, residents were evacuated.