 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Wellington (AFP) Feb 21, 2011 More than 100 pilot whales died in a mass stranding at a remote New Zealand beach, conservation officials said Monday. Hikers on Sunday reported finding 107 whales beached on Stewart Island, off the South Island's southwest coast, a Department of Conservation (DoC) spokesman said. He said some of the whales were already dead and DOC rangers had to euthanise the 48 remaining survivors as there was no prospect of refloating them. "We were quickly aware that it would be at least 10 to 12 hours before we could attempt to refloat them and that given the hot, dry conditions many more would soon perish," he said. The spokesman said a storm was also bearing down on the beach near Mason Bay where the whales were stranded, making it too dangerous to try to get them back into the sea. "We were worried we would be endangering the lives of staff and volunteers," he said. Pilot whales up to six metres (20 feet) long are the most common species of whale seen in New Zealand waters. Mass strandings are common on the country's rugged coast. Earlier this month, 14 died after beaching near the South Island tourist city of Nelson and 24 perished last month near Cape Reinga in the country's far north. Scientists are unsure why pilot whales beach themselves, although they speculate it may occur when their sonar becomes scrambled in shallow water or when a sick member of the pod heads for shore and others follow.
Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Follow the Whaling Debate
Japan brings home embattled whaling fleetTokyo (AFP) Feb 18, 2011 Japan recalled its Antarctic whaling fleet a month early Friday, citing the threat posed by militant environmentalist group Sea Shepherd and demanding foreign countries crack down on the activists. Tokyo told Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands to take action against the US-based group, which has used their ports or flown their flags in its campaign to stop Japanese whalers from killi ... read more |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook
