Rescuers Fight to Save Hundreds of Pilot Whales Beached in New Zealand</s>Volunteers are fighting to rescue surviving pilot whales after 400 of them were stranded on the south island of New Zealand. About 300 of the whales have already died.

It is the third largest event of this type of phenomenon where whales are beached or swim ashore and do not return to the sea. It is unclear as to why this happens.

The whales were found on Friday morning at Farewell Spit, on the northern tip of the South Island of New Zealand, which is notorious for cetacean strandings. At that time there were already 300 whales that had died. Pilot whales are lying in piles over a distance of over a hundred meters.

About 300 volunteers participated in the rescue of the surviving whales. Some of the whales were refloated back to sea when the tide came in and the volunteers stood in a line in the water to prevent the whales from swimming back to shore.

Volunteers in wetsuits carried buckets and tried to nurture the whales that were still alive, by keeping them moist and cool.

New Zealand has some of the world’s largest deposits of stranded whales. The record stems from 1918, when 1,000 pilot whales were found on the Chatham Islands. In 1985 there were 450 whales stranded in Auckland.</s>On Friday morning, the residents of Wellington, New Zealand, awoke to an upsetting scene.

Some time between Thursday evening and Friday morning, over 400 whales, adults and babies, beached themselves on the sands of South Island’s Farewell Spit, reports the Associated Press.

Three quarters of the pilot whales stranded on the shore were dead by the time rescuers arrived. Now animal activists are rushing to save as many of the surviving whales as possible, with help from over 300 volunteers from across the country, some of whom have travelled hours to assist.

“It can be really quite distressing seeing so many dead whales,” Department of Conservation community ranger Kath Inwood told AP. “People need to be resilient and handle that and then get on with what needs to be done.”

The majority of the work is keeping the whales wet and cool, while rescuers wait for high tide. At high tide, the team gets one shot to send the whales back into the water and form a human chain in the surf to keep the animals from coming back and accidentally beaching themselves again. Several of the whales have been sent back into the ocean successfully, but many of the survivors remain beached due to the small window of time rescuers have to work.

Unfortunately, mass beachings at Farewell Spit are common. Pilot whales often have trouble navigating the waters around the area, but this stranding of over 400 whales is one of the worst in the country’s history. The exact reason why this patch of sand continues to be an issue to the whales is unknown, but many believe the beach’s far-reaching coastline and gradually sloping sands make it hard for whales who get close to shore to maneuver out.

The Department of Conservation, volunteer group Project Jonah and an increasing number of good Samaritans are focused on saving the remaining whales quickly before their health deteriorates.

This is the third largest recorded whale stranding in New Zealand, which has one of the highest rates of whale beachings in the world. The largest occurred in 1918 when 1,000 whales became stranded on the shore of the Chatham Islands, with the 1985 stranding of 450 whales in Auckland following in second.</s>New Zealand volunteers formed a human chain in the water at a remote beach on Friday as they tried to save about 100 whales after more than 400 of the creatures beached themselves in one of the worst whale strandings in the nation’s history. About three-quarters of the pilot whales were already dead when they were found Friday morning at Farewell Spit at the tip of the South Island. It’s an area that seems to confuse whales and has been the site of previous mass strandings.

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Department of Conservation community ranger Kath Inwood said about 300 volunteers had joined conservation workers on the beach. She said they had refloated the whales at high tide and had formed the chain to try and prevent them from swimming back ashore. “It can be really quite distressing seeing so many dead whales,” Inwood said. “People need to be resilient and handle that and then get on with what needs to be done.” She said volunteers had earlier tried to keep the surviving whales damp and cool by placing blankets over them and dousing them with buckets of water as they waited for the tide to rise.

The high tide allowed volunteers their one shot of the day to help the whales. Should the whales become stranded again, the volunteers would have to wait until the next daylight high tide on Saturday. Inwood said that whale strandings occur most years at Farewell Spit, but that the scale of this stranding had come as a shock. She said farmers and other locals were helping out and that people were also arriving from other parts of the country. There are different theories as to why whales strand themselves, from them chasing prey too far inshore to them trying to protect a sick member of the group.

Farewell Spit is sometimes described as a whale trap. It has a long protruding coastline and gently sloping beaches that seem to make it difficult for whales to navigate away from once they get close. Authorities were asking for fit and competent volunteers to travel to the beach and help with the rescue efforts. Getting there from the nearest provincial airport in Nelson involves a three-hour drive followed by a 15-minute hike.

Conservation workers said many of the surviving whales were likely to be in bad shape given the number of deaths, and their condition would deteriorate. Volunteer rescue group Project Jonah said a total of 416 whales had stranded and 75 percent were dead when they were discovered.

The Department of Conservation put the number of dead whales at about 250 to 300. New Zealand has one of the highest rates of whale strandings in the world, and Friday’s event is the nation’s third-biggest recorded stranding. The largest was in 1918, when about 1,000 pilot whales came ashore on the Chatham Islands. In 1985 about 450 whales stranded in Auckland.</s>More than 400 whales have stranded on a New Zealand beach and about three-quarters of them have died in one of the worst recorded whale strandings in the nation’s history.

The pilot whales were found Friday at remote Farewell Spit at the tip of the South Island. It’s an area that seems to confuse whales and has been the site of previous mass strandings.

Conservation workers and volunteers were hoping to refloat at least some of the surviving whales at high tide Friday. If that fails, they were planning a second attempt Saturday.

Volunteer rescue group Project Jonah said a total of 416 whales had stranded and 75 percent were dead when they were discovered. The Department of Conservation put the number of dead whales at about 250 to 300.

Department spokesman Andrew Lamason told Radio New Zealand they were putting sheets and buckets of water on the surviving whales and trying to keep them calm.

He said that with so many whales already dead, it was likely that many of the survivors would not be in good shape.

Authorities were asking for fit and competent volunteers to travel to the beach and help with the rescue efforts.

New Zealand has one of the highest rates of whale strandings in the world, and Friday’s event is the nation’s third-largest recorded stranding.

The largest was in 1918, when about 1,000 pilot whales came ashore on the Chatham Islands. In 1985 about 450 whales stranded in Auckland.

There are different theories as to why whales strand themselves, from them chasing prey too far inshore to them trying to protect a sick member of the group.

Farewell Spit is sometimes described as a whale trap. It has a long protruding coastline and gently sloping beaches that appear to make it difficult for whales to navigate away from with their sonar systems once they get close.</s>This handout from Radio New Zealand taken and released on February 10, 2017 shows pilot whales which beached themselves overnight at Farewell Spit in the Golden Bay region at the northern tip of New Zealand's South Island. More than 400 whales were stranded on the New Zealand beach on February 10, with hundreds already dead as volunteers tried to refloat the survivors, the Department of Conservation said. / AFP PHOTO / RADIO NEW ZEALAND / Tracy NEAL / - New Zealand OUT / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / RADIO NEW ZEALAND / TRACY NEAL" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - NO ARCHIVES TRACY NEAL/AFP/Getty Images

This picture from Radio New Zealand taken and released on Feb. 10, 2017 shows people tending to pilot whales, which beached themselves overnight, at Farewell Spit in the Golden Bay region at the northern tip of New Zealand's South Island. (TRACY NEAL/AFP/Getty Images)

Whales are stranded at Farewell Spit near Nelson, New Zealand Friday, Feb. 10, 2017. New Zealand volunteers formed a human chain in the water at a remote beach on Friday after more than 400 of the creatures beached themselves in one of the worst whale strandings in the nation's history. (Tim Cuff/New Zealand Herald via AP)

Whales are stranded at Farewell Spit near Nelson, New Zealand Friday, Feb. 10, 2017. New Zealand volunteers formed a human chain in the water at a remote beach on Friday after more than 400 of the creatures beached themselves in one of the worst whale strandings in the nation's history. (Tim Cuff/New Zealand Herald via AP)

This handout from the New Zealand Department of Conservation taken and released on Feb. 10, 2017, shows pilot whales, which beached themselves overnight, at Farewell Spit in the Golden Bay region at the northern tip of New Zealand's South Island. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Cheree Morrison heard the sound of soft sighs and cries in the half-light, then as dawn broke she began to see the extent of the carnage — more than 400 whales had swum aground along a remote New Zealand beach.

About 275 of the pilot whales were already dead when Morrison and two colleagues found them Friday on Farewell Spit at the tip of the South Island.

Within hours, hundreds of farmers, tourists and teenagers were racing to keep the surviving 140 or so whales alive in one of the worst whale strandings in the nation’s history.

Morrison, a magazine writer and editor, stumbled upon the whales after taking a pre-dawn trip with a photographer and a guide to capture the red glow of the sunrise.

“You could hear the sounds of splashing, of blowholes being cleared, of sighing,” she said. “The young ones were the worst. Crying is the only way to describe it.”

The adult and baby whale carcasses were strewn three or four deep in places for hundreds of yards, often rolled over on the sand with their tail fins still aloft.

Morrison’s group alerted authorities, and volunteers soon began arriving in wetsuits and carrying buckets. Dressed in her jeans and sandshoes, Morrison waded into the water and did what she could to try to manoeuvre the surviving whales upright so they could breathe more easily.

“I walked away crying my eyes out,” she said. “We knew there were limited things we could do.”

Volunteer rescue group Project Jonah said a total of 416 whales had stranded. When high tide came, volunteers managed to refloat about 50 the surviving whales while the other 80 or 90 remained beached.

The volunteers then formed a human chain in the water to try to stop the creatures from swimming back and stranding themselves again. It will likely take a day or so to determine how successful their efforts have been.

Volunteers plan to refloat more whales on Saturday.

Farewell Spit, a sliver of sand that arches like a hook into the Tasman Sea, seems to confuse whales and has been the site of previous mass strandings.

The Department of Conservation said about 500 volunteers had joined conservation workers on the beach.

Community ranger Kath Inwood said the volunteers were continuing to keep the stranded survivors damp and cool by placing blankets over them and dousing them with buckets of water.

The high tide allowed volunteers their one shot of the day to help some of the whales. Many plan to return for the high tide on Saturday to try to refloat more of the whales, including any that strand themselves again.

There are different theories as to why whales strand themselves, from them chasing prey too far inshore to them trying to protect a sick member of the group.

Inwood said whale strandings occur most years at Farewell Spit, but the scale of this event came as a shock.

Sometimes described as a whale trap, the spit’s long coastline and gently sloping beaches seem to make it difficult for whales to navigate away from once they get close.

The beach is remote. Getting there from the nearest provincial airport in Nelson takes a three-hour drive followed by a 15-minute hike.

Conservation workers said many of the surviving whales were likely to be in bad shape given the number of deaths, and that their conditions would likely deteriorate the longer they remained stranded.

New Zealand has one of the highest rates of whale strandings in the world, and Friday’s event is the nation’s third-biggest recorded stranding.

The largest was in 1918, when about 1,000 pilot whales came ashore on the Chatham Islands. In 1985 about 450 whales stranded in Auckland.

“It was just heartbreaking,” Morrison said. “Utterly heartbreaking.”</s>Whales are stranded at Farewell Spit near Nelson, New Zealand Friday, Feb. 10, 2017. New Zealand volunteers formed a human chain in the water at a remote beach on Friday as they tried to save about 100 whales after more than 400 of the creatures beached themselves in one of the worst whale strandings in the nation's history. About three-quarters of the pilot whales were already dead when they were found Friday morning at Farewell Spit at the tip of the South Island. (Tim Cuff/New Zealand Herald via AP)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — It was the sound of soft sighs and cries in the half-light that first struck Cheree Morrison, and then as the dawn broke she began to see the extent of the carnage — more than 400 whales had swum aground along a remote New Zealand beach.

About 275 of the pilot whales were already dead when Morrison and two colleagues found them Friday on Farewell Spit at the tip of the South Island.

Within hours, hundreds of farmers, tourists and teenagers were racing to keep the surviving 140 or so whales alive in one of the worst whale strandings in the nation's history.

Morrison, a magazine writer and editor, stumbled upon the whales after taking a pre-dawn trip with a photographer and a guide to capture the red glow of the sunrise.

"You could hear the sounds of splashing, of blowholes being cleared, of sighing," she said. "The young ones were the worst. Crying is the only way to describe it."

The adult and baby whale carcasses were strewn three or four deep in places for hundreds of yards, often rolled over on the sand with their tail fins still aloft.

Morrison's group alerted authorities, and volunteers soon began arriving in wetsuits and carrying buckets. Dressed in her jeans and sandshoes, Morrison waded into the water and did what she could to try to maneuver the surviving whales upright so they could breathe more easily.

"I walked away crying my eyes out," she said. "We knew there were limited things we could do."

Volunteer rescue group Project Jonah said a total of 416 whales had stranded. When high tide came, volunteers managed to refloat about 50 the surviving whales while the other 80 or 90 remained beached.

The volunteers then formed a human chain in the water to try to stop the creatures from swimming back and stranding themselves again. It will likely take a day or so to determine how successful their efforts have been.

Volunteers plan to refloat more whales on Saturday.

Farewell Spit, a sliver of sand that arches like a hook into the Tasman Sea, seems to confuse whales and has been the site of previous mass strandings.

The Department of Conservation said about 500 volunteers had joined conservation workers on the beach.

Community ranger Kath Inwood said the volunteers were continuing to keep the stranded survivors damp and cool by placing blankets over them and dousing them with buckets of water.

The high tide allowed volunteers their one shot of the day to help some of the whales. Many plan to return for the high tide on Saturday to try to refloat more of the whales, including any that strand themselves again.

There are different theories as to why whales strand themselves, from them chasing prey too far inshore to them trying to protect a sick member of the group.

Inwood said whale strandings occur most years at Farewell Spit, but the scale of this event came as a shock.

Sometimes described as a whale trap, the spit's long coastline and gently sloping beaches seem to make it difficult for whales to navigate away from once they get close.

The beach is remote. Getting there from the nearest provincial airport in Nelson takes a three-hour drive followed by a 15-minute hike.

Conservation workers said many of the surviving whales were likely to be in bad shape given the number of deaths, and that their conditions would likely deteriorate the longer they remained stranded.

New Zealand has one of the highest rates of whale strandings in the world, and Friday's event is the nation's third-biggest recorded stranding.

The largest was in 1918, when about 1,000 pilot whales came ashore on the Chatham Islands. In 1985 about 450 whales stranded in Auckland.

"It was just heartbreaking," Morrison said. "Utterly heartbreaking."</s>WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND—More than 400 whales have stranded on a New Zealand beach and about three-quarters of them have died in what authorities are describing as the worst whale stranding they’ve ever seen.

The pilot whales were found Friday at remote Farewell Spit at the tip of the South Island. It’s an area that seems to confuse whales and has been the site of previous mass strandings.

Conservation workers and volunteers were hoping to refloat the surviving whales at high tide Friday morning.

Volunteer rescue group Project Jonah said a total of 416 whales had stranded and most were dead when they were discovered.

Department of Conservation spokesman Andrew Lamason told Radio New Zealand they were putting sheets and buckets of water on the surviving whales and trying to keep them calm.</s>More than 400 pilot whales have died on a New Zealand beach in one of the country’s worst strandings.

The whales were found on Friday morning local time at Farewell Spit, on the tip of the South Island, an area that has been the site of previous strandings.

According to conservation group Project Jonah, most of the 416 animals were already dead when they were found.

Volunteers are frantically trying to refloat the surviving whales but some are now swimming in the wrong direction and heading back into the bay, Department of Conservation spokesman Andrew Lamason told Radio New Zealand.

Rescuers hope they will turn around at high tide.

If they do not, there may not be another chance until Saturday’s high tide, as Mr Lamason said trying to rescue them at night would be too dangerous.

Meanwhile, around 80 volunteers will put sheets on the survivors and pour buckets of water over them in an effort to keep them calm and alive.

The Interislander ferry, which runs between the North and South Islands, offered free passage for marine mammal medics headed to the scene, while the road to the remote spot was packed with cars carrying people who were keen to help.

This is the third largest recorded whale stranding in a country that has one of the highest rates in the world.

The largest was in 1918, when about 1,000 pilot whales came ashore on the Chatham Islands. In 1985 about 450 whales stranded in Auckland.

It is not known why whales strand themselves but theories range from chasing prey to trying to protect a sick member of the pod.

Farewell Spit’s geography has made it a common place for whale strandings – its long protruding coastline and sloping beaches seem to make it difficult for the whales to find their way.</s>More than 400 whales were stranded on a New Zealand beach Friday, with hundreds already dead as volunteers raced to refloat the survivors, the Department of Conservation said.

It was one of the largest mass beachings recorded in New Zealand, where strandings are relatively common, said Andrew Lamason, the department's regional manager.

Some 416 pilot whales beached themselves overnight at Farewell Spit in the Golden Bay region at the northern tip of South Island.

Lamason said about 70 percent had perished and attempts were underway to get the remaining whales offshore at high tide but the outlook was gloomy."With that number dead, you have to assume that the rest are in reasonably poor nick as well," he told Radio New Zealand.

"So we're sort of preparing ourselves for a pretty traumatic period ahead."

A department spokesman said there were so many whale carcasses in the shallows that it was difficult for the volunteers to get living animals back into the water.

"The dead ones that are floating around out there are obstructing their course out to sea," he told AFP.

"I understand they're concerned about people's welfare ... there's quite a safety issue there."

He said most of the surviving whales had been refloated and dozens of volunteers formed a human chain to try to stop them beaching again."We've got a line of people between the shore and the whales to screen them and stop them coming back in," he said.

"Hopefully the outgoing tide will take them out to sea and they'll swim away."

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Pilot whales are renowned for tragically swimming back ashore after being refloated in an apparent attempt to rejoin their pod.

The department said it was the third biggest mass stranding on record in New Zealand.

The biggest occurred when 1,000 whales beached at the remote Chatham Islands in 1918, followed by 450 that washed ashore in Auckland in 1985.Pilot whales grow up to six meters (20 feet) long and are the most common species of whale in New Zealand waters.

Farewell Spit, about 150 kilometers (95 miles) west of the tourist town of Nelson, has witnessed at least nine mass strandings of the species in the past decade, although the latest is by far the largest.

WATCH VIDEO: Why Do Whales Beach Themselves?

Lamason said the reason the whales beached themselves was unknown but he believed it was partly due to the local geography.

"If you designed something to catch whales then Golden Bay is probably the perfect design," he said.

"Out at Farewell Spit it's a big massive sweeping hook of sand coming about, the bay is very shallow and once the whales get in there ... it's very difficult to work out which way is out."
Volunteers are working to save the remaining live pilot whales beached at Farewell Spit on New Zealand's South Island. Project Jonah reports that 75 percent of the more than 400 stranded whales are dead.