More than 200 whales stranded in Tasmania: most of the animals died – “race against time”

Created: 09/22/2022, 09:32 am

By: Yasina Hipp

Local residents, experts and rescue teams are trying to rescue the stranded whales that are still alive and pull them back into the water.

Many of the animals are already dead.

Update from September 22, 9:32 a.m .:

A day after the mass stranding of around 230 pilot whales in a bay on the Australian island of Tasmania, only 35 animals are reported to be alive.

On Thursday, numerous helpers were on duty to moisten the whales' bodies with buckets of water and wet towels.

The broadcaster "ABC" spoke of a "race against time".

Five other animals died that night alone, said Brendon Clark of the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service.

"Unfortunately, the probability of survival of the pilot whales is low," whale researcher Olaf Meynecke from Griffith University in Queensland told the German Press Agency.

Even if the surviving whales were transported to the open sea, many could try to return to their stranded friends and family members.

The emotional stress of the animals, which have developed extremely close bonds with one another, is very great.

"Some animals will make it, however, but the majority of them will perish," he explained, adding, "For a cetacean scientist like me, this is one of the worst moments of my job."

Helpers try to moisten the more than 200 beached whales with buckets of water and wet towels.

© Uncredited/Australian Broadcasting Corporation/AP/dpa

The pilot whales (also known as pilot whales) were stranded in remote Macquarie Bay on the west of the island on Wednesday.

According to eyewitnesses, half of them were still alive.

Exactly two years ago, 470 pilot whales were stranded in the same bay, 111 of them survived.

Over 200 whales stranded in Tasmania – researchers are looking for the cause

First report from September 21:

Hobart – The current images from the coast of the Australian island of Tasmania in the Indian Ocean are reminiscent of a similar natural disaster two years ago.

Hundreds of whale bodies lie lifeless on the island's beach, people try to keep the marine mammals alive with water and special blankets or to pull the living animals back into the water.

On site, the situation is described by helpers as "surreal".

Around 230 pilot whales have stranded near Macquarie Harbor on the island's west coast, according to the southern state of Tasmania's Department of the Environment.

Australia: Whale death reminds of 2020

Apparently there is still a glimmer of hope: "It seems that around half of the animals are still alive," according to the Ministry of the Environment.

However, experts and emergency services not only take care of the living animals, but also of the carcasses of the dead.

These are supposed to be pulled out to sea in order not to attract sharks to the coast.

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Helpers try to keep the whales alive with water.

© Uncredited/Australian Broadcasting Corporation/AP/dpa

As early as 2020, 470 whales were stranded on the coast of the Australian island.

More than 300 pilot whales died back then - the reason why the whales stranded at that time is still unclear to this day.

However, experts suspect that the group may have gotten lost in search of food.

pilot whales

Pilot whales can grow up to six meters long.

Despite their name, they are a species of dolphins and their appearance is reminiscent of them.

Every day an animal needs around 50 kilograms of food in the form of small molluscs or fish.

Pilot whales are very social animals that rush to help lost or sick members of their group and can endanger themselves in the process.

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Australian researchers are now looking for the cause

In addition to the more than 200 pilot whales, there are another 14 male sperm whales that stranded on the coast and died on Monday.

Researchers are now again looking for the cause of the massive stranding of the sea giants.

A biologist from the state's conservation agency told a local newspaper that such mass strandings are "rare but (...) not surprising" in the region.

The animals could have been surprised by the low tide while searching for food.