On Friday, February, 10, 2017, about 400 whales were found stranded on a shore in New Zealand. New Zealand's Department of Conservation said volunteers struggled to free the surviving whales. The volunteers did their best to help the survivors safely return to the ocean.
The stranded whales that ended up on Farewell Spit, a bay area in the small town of Nelson, were reported to be Pilot Whales. Pilot Whales are reportedly able to grow to up to 6 feet.
New Zealand authorities say the reason behind the massive stranding remains a mystery. However, some believe that the incident can be attributed to the geography of the area. Farewell Spit has reportedly already witnessed several cases of whales being stranded in the past. The most recent one from Friday was reportedly the worst case they have ever seen in a long time.
According to Inquirer news, Andrew Lamason, the representative of the Department of Conservation had the following to say about the baffling incident:
“If you designed something to catch whales then Golden Bay is probably the perfect design,”
Lamason continued with the following:
“Out at Farewell Spit it’s a big massive sweeping hook of sand coming about, the bay is very shallow and once the whales get in there… it’s very difficult to work out which way is out.”
According to reports, around 70% of the stranded whales were found dead.
Watch this video of the volunteers trying to save some of the whales courtesy of The Guardian:
News of the incident reportedly shocked people around the world. Several major news sites came out with a story about it a few hours after it happened.
How do you feel about these whales death stranding? Let us know in the comments section!
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