According to the New Zealand Department of Conservation, they found 97 long-finned pilot whales ( Globicephala melas ) and three dolphins stranded at Waitangi West Beach, in the Chatham Islands.
Twenty-six of the animals were still alive when they were discovered, but the staff had to euthanize them due to their extreme weakness.
"Only 26 were alive, most of them seemed very weak, and were euthanized due to rough sea conditions and the almost certainty that there were great white sharks in the water, which are brought by a stranding of this type," he commented. Jemma Welch, Ranger for the New Zealand Department of Biodiversity.
"Only 26 were alive, most of them seemed very weak, and they were euthanized due to rough sea conditions and almost the certainty that there were great white sharks in the water, which are brought by a stranding of this type," he commented. Jemma Welch, Ranger for the New Zealand Department of Biodiversity.
Pilot whale strandings, along with sperm whales, beaked whales and various species of dolphins have increased in frequency in recent years, but researchers are not yet able to determine exactly why.
Climate change?
One possible explanation is that climate change brings the food source closer to the coast, where these animals can become trapped . Other plausible explanations include extreme weather, increased predation by sharks and killer whales, and military sonar exercises, which lead the whales into unfamiliar territory.
