Whales free themselves
Source: Agencies |
February 6, 2011, Sunday
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Print Edition
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SIXTY-SIX survivors of a pod of 80 pilot whales that beached in New Zealand apparently freed themselves and swam back to sea during a high tide, rescuers said yesterday.
Fourteen whales had died, Conservation Department spokeswoman Trish Grant said.
The whales came ashore at Golden Bay, north of the city of Nelson on the tip of South Island, on Friday afternoon.
About 100 rescuers had been unable to refloat the whales before darkness fell on Friday night. The rescuers set up camp nearby with plans to try again at first light.
Grant said the rescuers returned yesterday morning to find the whales had gone. It appeared a high tide around midnight had allowed the stranded whales to free themselves.
"We don't know whether they have managed to swim safely out to sea or whether they may have stranded somewhere else along the coast," she said. "Some, even though they are refloated, do wash up dead later on because they've been through such an ordeal so they are considerably weakened by it."
Pilot whales are the most common whale species in New Zealand waters.
Whale strandings are fairly common in New Zealand. Last month 24 pilot whales died after stranding on North Island.
Fourteen whales had died, Conservation Department spokeswoman Trish Grant said.
The whales came ashore at Golden Bay, north of the city of Nelson on the tip of South Island, on Friday afternoon.
About 100 rescuers had been unable to refloat the whales before darkness fell on Friday night. The rescuers set up camp nearby with plans to try again at first light.
Grant said the rescuers returned yesterday morning to find the whales had gone. It appeared a high tide around midnight had allowed the stranded whales to free themselves.
"We don't know whether they have managed to swim safely out to sea or whether they may have stranded somewhere else along the coast," she said. "Some, even though they are refloated, do wash up dead later on because they've been through such an ordeal so they are considerably weakened by it."
Pilot whales are the most common whale species in New Zealand waters.
Whale strandings are fairly common in New Zealand. Last month 24 pilot whales died after stranding on North Island.
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