Race against time to save the pilot whales that beached yesterday on the coasts of Tasmania, Australia
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himIt has raced against time to save the pilot whales that have beached themselves on the coasts of Tasmania, Australia. Unfortunately, according to the latest updates provided by the Australian authorities, one third of the animals have already died.
Yesterday hundreds of pilot whales beached in Strahan, a small town in Tasmania, an island state off the southern coast of mainland Australia. The exact number is not yet known but there are about 300 cetaceans. A real task force is in place to save them but unfortunately for many it is already too late. About 90 pilot whales did not make it while those released are 25. Marine biologists and government officials are doing what they can to save those still alive.
About 270 pilot whales are estimated to have run aground at Strahan, including 200 on a sandbar off the Macquarie Heads ramp, another 30 XNUMX meters away on another sandbar, and as many at Ocean Beach.
"About a third of the animals were already dead yesterday," wildlife biologist Kris Carlyon said at a press conference today. Carlyon added that it is difficult to make a more specific estimate of the deaths, as the whales were spread over a large area and some places were inaccessible:
“This is a really challenging event. In terms of mass strandings in Tasmania, this is among the hardest we've ever had to deal with. "
Rescue operations are also made difficult by other problems, including storm surges and the possibility that pilot whales may attract sharks to the area. There are currently various rescue teams at work numbering around 60 people, from volunteers to law enforcement to the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service.
Whale stranding update
Posted by Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service on Monday, September 21, 2020
Unfortunately they are facing a sad situation as the more time passes, the less chance there is of saving the animals. For this they are forced to do a real triage, first helping the pilot whales that have a better chance of survival.
Hundreds of pilot whales are stranded in Tasmania: it has raced against time to save them
Where possible they are trying to get the animals back into the sea that are in good health, but if that doesn't work or if the pilot whales exhibit strange behavior they will have to adopt another strategy.
©Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (Brodie Weeding, The Advocate)
The rescue mission will likely take days, raising concerns that they may not live that long. Fortunately, the weather conditions are such as to keep the animals moist and cool.
It is not yet clear what caused this mass stranding of pilot whales. They may have lost their bearings while searching for food and have come too close to the coast. These mass strandings often involve species living together in large groups, according to the department. Pilot whales, sperm whales and bottlenose dolphins are the most commonly involved species.
Sources of reference: CNN, Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment,
Read also:
- Hundreds of dolphins and pilot whales slaughtered in the Faroe Islands
- Heartbreaking images showing pilot whales huddling together to save themselves from the massacre in Taiji Bay
- New slaughter in the Faroe Islands, another 100 pilot whales killed, fetuses torn from the belly of pregnant females
