Mass Stranding of Pilot Whales off Australian Coast: 29 Dead, 130 Rescued

In Australia, 29 pilot whales were found dead near the coastline. The Parks and Wildlife Service of Australia announced that on Thursday, approximately 160 whales had stranded. While 130 of them were successfully rescued, around 29 died.

Whales returning to the shore out of fear have been monitored by spotter planes and numerous boats. Marine scientists have stated that pilot whales, once stranded, can survive for only about 6 hours on average.

The mother pilot whales and their calves were stranded on the shore. The Wildlife Service of Australia will collect samples from the dead pilot whales and conduct an investigation. The reason for these whales coming ashore has not yet been determined. Most of the time, mother whales and their calves are involved in such incidents.

The New York Times quoted experts as saying that pilot whales are social animals. They take great care of each other. Typically, when a whale falls ill or gets stranded on the shore, other pilot whales come to their rescue.

In the past year, over 100 pilot whales were found dead in two countries. Incidents of pilot whale deaths along the coastlines of Australia and New Zealand have been steadily increasing over the years. Even in the past year, in July alone, approximately 100 pilot whales reached the shores of Australia, out of which 51 died. In Scotland, 55 pilot whales were also reported dead in the same year.

In 2022, in separate incidents in New Zealand, nearly 500 pilot whales died. Similarly, in 2020, over 450 pilot whales were found dead in Tasmania, Australia.

The pilot whale is a species of oceanic dolphin that travels in pods. They follow the lead of the group leader (pilot) and when a member of the group is injured, a large number of them gather around. According to researchers, pilot whales always stick together. If one whale gets stranded, others follow it. This is because all the whales on the beach die together. It is said that when the whale comes near the shore and then sends signals to other whales in distress. Upon receiving these signals, other whales also come closer and get stranded. Whales experts say that even when the water level is low, they often get lost.