140 WHALES DIE IN NEW ZEALAND BEACH AFTER GETTING STRANDED

WELLINGTON: About 140 pilot whales that stranded themselves on a remote stretch of New Zealand beach have died, but conservation workers and volunteers are hoping the remaining 60 or so will survive after they managed to get them refloated, an official said Saturday. The geography of Farewell Spit on the South Island seems to work against whales, which regularly become stranded there. The stranding of 198 whales on Friday was one of the largest in recent years. By late Saturday, 140 of the whales had died, said Department of Conservation area manager Andrew Lamason.