"A FANTASTIC OUTCOME"
"A FANTASTIC OUTCOME"
Dr. Kris Carlyon was happy, really happy! On Saturday morning September 26, 2020 the Marine Conservation Program wildlife biologist said the release of the 108 surviving long-finned pilot whales into the sea around Macquarie Heads, Tasmania, was "a fantastic outcome."
A statement by the Tasmanian government said 108 surviving pilot whales have been released into the sea. These whales were the ones that lived through the strandings.Three hundred and fifty (350) whales died recently in "what is Australia's worst stranding on record." In 1996, 320 whales beached in Western Australia.
The pilot whales washed up on sandspits in the sea around Macquire Heads on Monday September 21. Reports are that the area "is a known hot spot for whale strandings in Tasmania."
It took a great deal of effort to save the remaining creatures. Four whales "had to be euthanised, they were too exhausted to be saved." one report said. Another report said 15 carcasses were buried at sea on Friday.
In a short interview with the BBC, Corey Brown, a wildlife rescuer and volunteer, said "it was just amazing, (to hear) the communication between the animals." He said the mature animals weighed 3 to 4 tons. Also the rescuers tried to keep mothers and babies together.
Why did the whales become stranded? No one really understands the reason. Maybe they become disoriented while hunting fish. "Researchers also believe that such groups are susceptible around beaches which gently slope across a wide area because the whales' sonar pulses can fail to detect the shoreline in shallow waters."
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