Around 90 pilot whales have died and dozens more are suffering as a mass stranding took place on the west coast Tasmania.
A total of 270 whales were found washed up on shore across Macquarie Heads, a remote tip of the island with limited vessel and road access, on Monday, September 21.
Whale beachings are common in the region, but one of this size has not been seen in more than a decade and it’s unclear what drew the sea creatures to the shore.
Rescuers from the Tasmanian Marine Conservation Program have launched a mission to try and save as many whales as possible from the three groups that washed ashore. About 200 had washed up on a sandbar near a boat ramp, while 30 others were found several hundred metres away and another 30 were found further inland along Ocean Beach.
Many of the whales are said to be in ‘relatively inaccessible’ locations, making their rescue all the more challenging.
The Tasmanian Marine Conservation Program released a statement at 1pm local time today, September 22, to say there were currently 60 people involved in the rescue efforts. Officials have urged the public to stay away from the scene, saying they have enough helpers.
The team set about ‘re-floating’ some of the whales this morning, using special equipment to push the mammals off the sandbar and into deeper waters.
Wildlife biologist Dr Kris Carlyon commented:
Normally we’re dealing with animals high and dry on the beach. This is different. We’ve got animals semi-buoyant so it probably won’t take too much to re-float them – just involves a bit of grunt.
If the whales cope well after being re-floated, experts will then move them further out, though Carlyon said this would likely be a challenge against the strong tide.
The biologist added:
Triage is going to be quite important here. We have got animals over a large area and in a really challenging location so we are going to take the animals with the best chance to start with and the ones we are able to deal with.
Some animals may be too big or the location is too difficult to get to. About a third of the animals are deceased.
Whales are known to travel in pods of up to 1,000, though the reason why they sometimes beach themselves remains a mystery.
The mammals are known to follow a leader or to gather around an injured or distressed whale, and Olaf Meynecke, a whale researcher and Project Manager of whales and climate at Griffith University, told Reuters their ‘social groups and strong bonding’ often causes all of them to strand.
Carlyon said the rescue efforts is likely to take days, dependent on weather and tide conditions. If the weather conditions in the area remain suitable the stranded whales should be able to survive for quite a few days while the rescuers work to save them.
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