Still dead, still beached cetaceans. This time it happened in Hamelin Bay in Western Australia, where 150 pilot whales were found arenat. Only 15 of them were still alive
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himStill dead, still beached cetaceans. This time it happened in Hamelin Bay in Western Australia, where 150 pilot whales were found stranded. Only 15 of them were still alive.
A real mass death occurred about 300 km south of the city of Perth. A fisherman found them yesterday and reported the incident to the authorities. Then a race against time began to save the few cetaceans still alive and to try to bring them back to the sea.
Although they are more like whales in behavior, these animals belong to the dolphin family and usually move en masse. It is a genus of odontocetic cetaceans to which two species belong, the pilot whale (Globicephala melas) and Gray's pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus).
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that dozens of rescuers rushed to the beach to try to save the poor creatures. Authorities have also issued a shark warning, warning people to stay away from the area.
"It is possible that dead and dying animals act as an attraction, which could cause sharks to approach along this stretch of coast," he said the Department of Fisheries.
Pilot whales usually measure up to 5 meters and are found in tropical and subtropical waters. Scientists don't know exactly what caused the stranding.
They can occur when they are sick or injured and make navigational mistakes. In these cases, moving in packs, they drag all the others with them.
Beached animals can send out warning signs that attract others of their own kind. This is not the first time this has happened. In 1996, some 320 specimens ran aground on Western Australia's largest sandy beach.
"The conditions are challenging, but we are doing everything possible to give these animals the best chance of survival", he said Jeremy Chick, wildlife expert who is dealing with the emergency.
The boats have been used to take them to deeper water and the team is monitoring the health of the surviving animals.
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Francesca Mancuso
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