All but five of more than 150 whales that were stranded on a beach in Western Australia have died. Volunteers spent a day trying to push the short-finned pilot whales back out to sea.
Image: Reuters/L. Hollowood
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A desperate battle to save 150 whales washed up on a beach in Hamelin Bay, 315 kilometers (198 miles) south of Perth, has ended with just five of the pod having survived, officials said on Saturday.
Almost all of the mostly short-finned pilot whales had already died by the time the alarm was raised. A rescue operation was mounted to save some 15 living cetaceans still stranded in shallow waters. But only a handful were successfully returned to freedom.
One of the six re-stranded itself and was euthanized, Western Australia's Department of Biodiversity, Conservation & Attractions said on Twitter.
Workers used heavy machinery to lift several whales off the sand before carrying them to another part of the beach to release them. Swimmers then guided the surviving whales back to deep water.
Rescue efforts were hampered by dead whales in the water, rocky terrain and rough seas.
Spotted by fisherman
The whales were first discovered by a fisherman who alerted local authorities on Friday,
Every year thousands of whales are found stranded on beaches all over the world. But how do they get there? And what happens once they hit the shore?
Image: picture-alliance/Pacific Press/A. H. Firsawan
A team effort
Earlier this month, locals in Aceh, Indonesia, teamed up to try and help 10 sperm whales that beached themselves in shallow waters. Volunteers managed to pull six of the animals back out to sea, but four died. There is no real consensus on why whales become stranded, but there are plenty of ideas...
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Yani
Follow the leader
Some whale species live in social groups known as 'pods', each of which has a leader the other animals swim behind. If the lead animal finds itself close to the shore and in trouble, it can send out a distress signal. The whales following behind may try to help and end up stranded themselves. There is also the possibility that whales become caught while chasing prey.
Image: picture-alliance/Zumapress/R. Azhari
Manmade strandings
Another school of thought on why whales become beached suggests that overfishing forces the marine mammals to seek food in unfamiliar and potentially shallow waters where they become trapped. There is also some evidence that naval sonar can disrupt and confuse the animals while migrating.
Image: picture-alliance/Zumapress/R. Azhari
Evading the deep
If a whale perishes deep in the murky depths of the sea, its body sinks to the bottom providing nourishment for a plethora of other animals and organisms for years, even decades to come. But those already close to the shore, may wash up on the beach, like this whale that appeared in Rio de Janeiro. If this happens, the animals decompose on the sand - a phenomenon that can cause other problems.
Image: picture-alliance/AA/F. Teixeira
An explosive response
Though these sunbathers appear undeterred, the stench of a putrifying whale carcass would be enough to put many off their holiday. And the smell is not the only issue. When one of these ocean giants dies and begins to decompose, gases build up in its stomach where they are trapped by a thick layer of blubber. If humans climb on, or try to move the dead whale, it can explode.
Image: Getty Images/M. Tama
A sandy grave
Disposing of a whale that has washed ashore can be a difficult task. Because they can pose a risk to public health, leaving them to rot on the beach is not an option. The best way, say some environmentalists, is to bury them on the beach itself, as was the case with the four whales that died in Aceh.
Image: picture-alliance/Pacific Press/A. H. Firsawan
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Fears that the dead whales could attract sharks led officials to close several beaches in the vicinity.
"It is possible the dead and dying animals will act as an attractant, which could lead to sharks coming close in to shore along this stretch of coast," a Shark Smart alert said.
Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions incident controller Jeremy Chick said the safety of the surviving whales was the priority. He warned that they could attempt to beach themselves at another location.
A tendency to strand
Adult short-finned pilot whales are about 5 meters (16.4 feet) long and weigh up to three tons. They are found in most waters around the world and generally travel in groups of less than 100.
In 2009, more than 80 pilot whales and dolphins died in a mass stranding at Hamelin Bay.
Scientists do not know exactly what causes whales to beach themselves, but short-finned pilot whales are known to be prolific mass-stranders.
The largest stranding of whales ever recorded in New Zealand, and possibly the world, involved an estimated 1,000 pilot whales on the shore of Chatham Island in 1918.
It is thought that the species, which typically dwell in areas that are topographically "steep," struggle with shallow, sloping underwater environments.
