After the mass stranding of around 160 pilot whales on the Australian west coast, almost 30 animals have died. The Authority for Biodiversity and Nature Conservation (DBCA) announced that 100 marine mammals are now back in deeper waters.
Helpers in boats tried to stop them from swimming towards shore again. “We have ships and a sighting plane in action that track where the animals are every few hours,” said a DBCA spokeswoman. “So far so good.” Numerous animal rights activists and residents had rushed to the beach since morning to help rescue the animals and shower them with water.
In 1996, there was a mass stranding of 320 pilot whales in the same region. At that time almost all animals were saved. In 2018, 100 ocean giants died after a mass stranding in Hamelin Bay, Western Australia. Last year, nearly 100 pilot whales were stranded on Cheynes Beach, east of the city of Albany. None of the animals survived. According to experts, pilot whales form extremely close bonds with one another. At certain times of the year they travel in large groups, increasing the risk of mass strandings.
