Stranded pilot whales die as rescue efforts fail
HAAST: The last dozen pilot whales that were still alive out of the 38 stranded were euthanised yesterday afternoon after any attempt at rescue was branded impossible.
The pilot whales stranded at the mouth of the Okuru River, south of Haast on Wednesday afternoon.
They were spread along a 3km stretch of beach from in front of the Okuru township.
Department of Conservation spokesman Wayne Costello said the dangerous sea and lagoon conditions meant an attempt to refloat the whales could not be made safely.
‘‘Unfortunately, the sea on the West Coast is typically rough and the strong tidal currents in the adjoining lagoon made it impossible for rescuers to safely attempt to refloat the whales, allow them to regroup and to try to get them back to the open sea,’’ Mr Costello said.
‘‘Doc staff working with Makaawhio iwi members and local people considered options for a refloat of the whales but in the end this could not be done without considerable risk to both whales and people.
‘‘This is a sad outcome.’’ This decision was made in consultation with local iwi Makaawhio, Project Jonah and other whalestranding experts.
Mr Costello said volunteers and staff had tried their hardest to keep the whales comfortable by getting them upright, cooling them and protecting them from sun and wind.
Thirtytwo stranded pilot whales were found on Wednesday at the river mouth, 11 of which were alive.
It appeared the whales had been there about 12 hours when found.
When Doc staff returned yesterday morning, 38 whales were found, most of them dead.
Longfinned pilot whales roam the cold temperate waters of the Southern Ocean.
Each pod numbers 20 to 100 whales, although they can congregate in much larger numbers.
Although whales wash up occasionally on West Coast beaches, the size of the Okuru stranding is unprecedented.
The last mass stranding in the region was at Rapahoe in December 1996, when six pilot whales beached. — NZME