At least 43 pilot whales dead after stranding in New Zealand

It was yesterday Thursday that locals in Ngawi, located on the southernmost tip of the North Island, discovered some dead whales washed up on the beach. During the day more and more whales were found. Most were dead, but some were alive when found but later died.

- We are grateful to the local people, who belong to several different Maori tribes and were the first on the scene. They took care of the whales that were found alive by keeping them cool and as comfortable as possible, writes the organization Project Jonah in an update on Facebook.

The coast at Ngawi is constantly exposed to strong waves from the Cook Strait. Combined with loose gravel beaches and sharp rocks in the intertidal zone, this made the rescue operation particularly challenging. The place is also remote and difficult to reach.

Fisherman Andrew Sim, who has spent more than 40 years on the coast in question, has never before seen pilot whales stranded.

- It is very sad and strange that it can happen, he tells RNZ.

According to the new Zealand nature conservation authority, DOC, however, it does happen that pilot whales are stranded. The reasons are not completely clear.

- It mainly affects species that tend to be very social, and it is likely that all or parts of a social group are stranded at the same time, says Ian L. Boyd, professor of biology at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, in a statement by the Science Media Center as quoted by CNN.

According to him, it is possible for an entire group to lose their bearings and get caught in the receding tide, but that is almost certainly only one of several complex causes.

- The killer whales' strong social behavior means that if a whale loses its orientation, others come to its rescue, according to DOC.

The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency further states that the most likely theory behind the stranding of many whales at the same time is that the animals' echolocation is not well adapted to shallow, sloping waters.

The largest stranding of pilot whales in the country occurred in 1918. Then an estimated 1,000 whales were affected at the Chatham Islands.