Over 300 whales die in the third largest stranding in New Zealand’s history

0

Heartbreaking! On February 9, 2017, over 300 whales died in the biggest recent stranding in New Zealand.

Another secret sonar or underwater military exercise? Or Penumbral eclipse of the Full Moon?

Most of the 415 whales that washed up on a narrow sand spit in Golden Bay, New Zealand died by Thursday night, while scores of volunteers armed with blankets struggled to keep the surviving animals wet to refloat them during a life-saving tide.

whale die-off new zealand, whale die-off new zealand february 2017, whale die-off new zealand february 2017 pictures, whale die-off new zealand february 2017 video
via Facebook Project Jonah

The mammals were scattered along the beach in Farewell Spit on the northwestern coast of New Zealand’s South Island, near the settlement on Puponga. Hundreds of volunteers joined the rescue operation, led by the New Zealand Department of Conservation.

Gruesome images showing piles of dead mammals lying mere meters from the water have emerged on social media.

whale die-off new zealand, whale die-off new zealand february 2017, whale die-off new zealand february 2017 pictures, whale die-off new zealand february 2017 video
via Twitter

About 30 medics have been dispatched to the site of the stranding to take care of the whales joining the efforts with volunteers in keeping them cool and comfortable and preventing the refloated whales from coming back ashore with impromptu “human chains.”

The call for help, posted by Project Jonah of Facebook, has seen a tremendous response from locals, with a road leading to the beach being jammed with cars of helpers, the New Zealand Herald reports.

whale die-off new zealand, whale die-off new zealand february 2017, whale die-off new zealand february 2017 pictures, whale die-off new zealand february 2017 video
via Twitter

This is quite emotional – it’s encouraging to see the number of people who have come out to help … We’re going to give these whales the best chance we can.

whale die-off new zealand, whale die-off new zealand february 2017, whale die-off new zealand february 2017 pictures, whale die-off new zealand february 2017 video
via Facebook Project Jonah

While the majority of nearly a hundred pilot whales were successfully refloated on Friday morning, there is a high chance that the same whales could get stuck again. What they’re doing is milling around so we won’t know until mid-afternoon whether we’re going to have a restranding or not.

whale die-off new zealand, whale die-off new zealand february 2017, whale die-off new zealand february 2017 pictures, whale die-off new zealand february 2017 video
via Facebook Project Jonah

As of Friday afternoon (local time), the whales have been spotted returning back to the beach, with some of them getting caught in the sands again.

whale die-off new zealand, whale die-off new zealand february 2017, whale die-off new zealand february 2017 pictures, whale die-off new zealand february 2017 video
via Facebook Project Jonah

The current stranding become the third largest in the recorded history of such events in New Zealand. The biggest stranding, which saw around a thousand sea creatures beached on the Chatham Islands, dates back to 1918. The second largest occurred in Auckland in 1985, when some 450 whales ran ashore.

Follow us: Facebook and Twitter

Leave a reply

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.