In a tragic incident about 90 whales have died after being stranded in a remote bay in southern Australia. Rescuers are trying to save the remaining 180 whales but the task has proven to be ¡®challenging¡¯.?
According to scientists, large pods of long-finned pilot whales became stuck on sandbars in Macquarie Harbour, on Tasmania's rugged and sparsely populated west coast.
Rescuers have been trying to save the rest from the pod of 270 whales.?
Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service's Nic Deka reportedly said that progress has been slow, with conditions and the half-submerged whales making rescue efforts tricky.
¡°This morning's phase will be critical in determining what is possible,¡± he reportedly said.?
¡°Basically we'll take the animals with the best chance to start with and the ones that we are able to deal with. Some animals may be simply too big or in an unsuitable location,¡± he further said.?
He informed that one third of the whales had already died as of Monday evening and most were inaccessible by boat.
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¡°In terms of mass strandings in Tasmania, this is the trickiest we've had to deal with,¡± he said adding that the rescue mission could take days.?Around 60 people are involved in the rescue, including 40 parks and wildlife staff and personnel from nearby fish farms, which have supplied boats.
Pilot whales are a robust species according to Mr Deka and survivors have a chance of lasting several days on the sandbars if the weather stays cool.?The whales got stranded on Monday morning but the rescue began only after marine specialists surveyed the scene.?
According to Mr Deka different types of rescue methods would be trialled and a lot would depend on how the whales respond.
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It is understood to be the biggest mass stranding in Tasmania in more than a decade.?According to him, the social pilot whales could have been drawn close to the coast to feed or because the pod followed the misadventure of a few individuals.?
This is not the first time long-finned pilot whales have been involved in mass strandings in Tasmania.?Images from the scenes show rescuers struggling to help the stranded whales - a large number of them.?
We hope that they manage to save as many whales as possible.?
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