2023-07-25 15:37:25
Around 70 pilot whales have stranded on a beach in Western Australia. The marine mammals were part of a larger herd that had previously huddled together 100 meters offshore for hours in extremely unusual behavior, Australian broadcaster ABC reported on Tuesday, citing the Biodiversity and Conservation Authority (DBCA). By mid-afternoon (local time), most of the group’s whales had begun to beach east of the town of Albany.
A DBCA spokesman urged onlookers not to approach the animals. Officials and around 20 volunteers tried to transport the pilot whales (also called pilot whales) back to sea. “If we have healthy, viable animals, we will do everything we can to help,” the ABC quoted one of the experts involved as saying. The reasons for the strange behavior of the animals were still completely unclear.
“When these animals lie on the beach for a long time, there is a lot of pressure on their organs due to gravity and the weight of their bodies,” said marine mammal researcher Rebecca Wellard. Therefore rescue attempts are very complicated. There is always a risk that the whales will be stranded again after they have been rescued.
Last year, 230 pilot whales were stranded on the Australian island of Tasmania. 200 of them died. In 2018, 100 ocean liners died after a mass stranding in Hamelin Bay, Western Australia. According to experts, pilot whales form extremely close bonds with one another. At certain times of the year, they travel in large groups, increasing the risk of mass stranding.
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