New Zealand: Dozens of Pilot Whales Stranded on North Island Coast as Rescuers Refloat Survivors
Dozens of pilot whales have been found stranded on a beach in New Zealand's North Island and rescuers are trying to refloat a handful of the survivors, the country's Department of Conservation said on November 5. At least 20 pilot whales were stranded along the Ngawi coast near Cape Palliser, the southernmost point of the North Island, the department said, while locals told Radio New Zealand that up to 50 whales may have stranded on the coastline overnight.
The department said it was working with local iwi, a Maori tribe, and Project Jonah, a group that specialises in rescuing stranded whales, and that two whales have been successfully refloated so far. Project Jonah said in a post on Thursday that four whales were alive and rescuers would try to refloat them during high tide.
Whale strandings are fairly common in New Zealand and neighbouring Australia owing to large populations of pilot whales living in the deep oceans surrounding both island nations. The cause of whale stranding is unknown.
Source: 新西兰保护部
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 照片：海面上的领航鲸（资料图），Ivane Pairaud 摄，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 4.0 授权 / Photo: Pilot whales at sea (file photo), by Ivane Pairaud, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
