Four pilot whales die on beach
Four whales have died after becoming stranded along a Northland beach.
Conservation charity Project Jonah said it sent medics to the Bream Bay area of Ruaka¯ka¯ to help with the rescue yesterday but all the pilot whales had died.
Communications manager Louisa Hawkes said yesterday a few hundred people were at the beach sitting and watching but no help was needed.
‘‘[The rest of the pod] have been sighted offshore. If things change and they head in-shore, then we will let people know and ask them to head down to the beach.’’
Patuharakeke kauma¯tua Pera Mackie said seeing the number of people gathered showed the aroha of the community.
‘‘The good thing about it, it was not just local iwi but Ma¯ ori and Pa¯ keha¯ ,’’ he said.
‘‘We have made a decision – [the whales] will go straight from here to where they are going to be buried [in the sand dunes].
‘‘We will say a karakia and that will be their final resting place,’’ Mackie said.
The whales would not be used for their bones, he said, they would be treated like people.
Department of Conservation marine mammal ranger Dr Cat Peters said a group had waded into the water to turn the whales’ bodies around, on advice from local iwi, to maintain their connection with the ocean and their family.
She said they also wanted to move them slightly further in so they wouldn’t draw the rest of the pod back to shore.
DOC was also asking people to stay clear of the beach as the rest of the pod was now well clear of the shore.
Project Jonah first received reports that whales had stranded near Mangawhai on Tuesday night. Local medics were contacted and put on standby.
‘‘The pod that were seen last night swam north and some have stranded this morning,’’ the team said early yesterday.
‘‘It is thought that three of the whales have already died and others have been seen milling close offshore.’’
About 8.30am, Hawkes said they had been notified the fourth stranded whale had also died.
Residents living along the coast were asked to keep an eye on the whales during the day.
The age of the dead whales was not yet known, Hawkes said.