Whale dies after stranding
A young pygmy sperm whale has died after stranding on Paraparaumu Beach, despite locals, the Department of Conservation and SPCA staff working to send it back out to sea.
Local resident David Howes said his wife and a small group of beach goers had come across the young whale just after 10am on Monday. The marine mammal had lacerations on its stomach and was stranded in the shallows.
‘‘Unfortunately no matter how many times SPCA, DOC and volunteers refloated him, and turned him from the beach, he would politely turn around and try to strand himself,’’ Howes posted online.
DOC confirmed later on Monday afternoon it had been agreed with mana whenua, A¯ tiawa ki Whakarongotai, that it would be humanely euthanised by DOC staff to minimise its suffering.
‘‘We would have preferred a different outcome, but in the circumstances, all agreed this was for the best,’’ said Angus Hulme-Moir, DOC operations manager for Ka¯ piti-Wellington.
He said DOC would like to thank everyone who helped with the stranding, and the group effort made a sombre situation less difficult.
Mana whenua whale expert Jordan Housiaux-Dustin said strandings always raised questions for iwi about what they indicated in terms of the health of the marine environment.
A¯ tiawa ki Whakarongotai had their own protocols for strandings.
Iwi chairperson Andre Baker said it was an important expression of the rangatiratanga of mana whenua that those protocols were followed and ensured that all parties could work together cohesively.
The whale was named Kena Kena, and would be buried locally by iwi.
DOC encourages anyone to report whale sightings and strandings by calling the DOC hotline, 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468).