Australian whales: Tasmanian officials race to save hundreds of stranded animals
About 270 flying whales are stranded in Strahan, a small town in Tasmania, an island nation off the southern coast of Australia. They are scattered along two sand bars and a strip of shore, according to the Tasmanian Marine Environmental Protection Program, which is leading the rescue.
“This is a really difficult event,” he said. “With regard to mass delinquency in Tasmania, this is among the most difficult things we have ever faced.”
Other potential problems include an unexpected tide wash, and the potential for stricken whales to attract sharks to the area.
The rescue teams, numbering around 60, include volunteers, police, fish farms, Tasmania parks and the Wildlife Service. With the clock ticking, Carleone said, they are forced to sort by starting with the whales that have the best chance of success.
First, rescuers will try to “re-float” the whales by “(displacing) them in the water,” Carleone said – and if that doesn’t work, or if it causes the whales to behave erratically, they will switch to another strategy.
The rescue mission will likely take days, raising concerns that the whales may not survive long. The current weather is keeping the whales moist and cool, which is “ideal” – if conditions persist this way, the whales can survive a few more days, Carleone said.
It’s not entirely clear what caused the whales to drift ashore, although Carleone added that there were a few other mass strandings on similar sites. Whales may have been withdrawn after being fed near the coast; Or perhaps some whales wandered too close on a “simple adventure”, and the others followed.
After rescuers hope to save the remaining whales, they will have another grim mission ahead – transporting dozens of whale carcasses from inside the harbor to the sea. Usually when delinquency occurs, experts prefer to leave dead bodies – but they can’t do that in this case because the area is so close to human camps and activity sites, Carleone said.
Officials have warned the public not to stay outside the area and not approach the beach in boats.
According to the department, these group threads often include social types that live together in large groups. Pilot whales, sperm whales, and dolphins are among the species that are most often stranded.
CNN’s Jack Jay and Sol Hahn contributed to this report.
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