Christchurch, NZ - Tourists found the pod of 61 beached whales on Monday at Farewell Spit, on the top of the South Island, the Department of Conservation (DOC) said.
DOC local manager John Mason said a large number were already dead and hopes the survivors would refloat at high tide on Tuesday were dashed when the whales swam back to shore.
He said 18 whales remained alive early Wednesday and DOC staff decided to euthanize them, rather than prolong their suffering.
"It's the worst outcome and it's not a job our staff enjoy doing at all," Mason said.
Pilot whales up to six metres (20 feet) long are the most common species of whale in New Zealand waters, with mass standings occurring about two or three times a year.
Scientists are unsure why pilot whales beach themselves, although they speculate it may occur when their sonar becomes scrambled in shallow water or when a sick member of the pod heads for shore and others follow.
--- In MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL@yahoogroups.com, "MalcolmB" <malcolmb2@...> wrote:
>
> Whales shot after tragic stranding of 65-strong pod in New Zealand
> Save this story to read later
> From: NewsCore
> November 16, 2011 12:56PM
>
> NEWS.com.au, 7 May 2011
> CONSERVATION workers have been forced to shoot the surviving members of a pod of pilot whales which became stranded on tidal flats in New Zealand after it became clear there was no chance the marine mammals would survive.
> The pod of 65 whales, up to five metres long, became stranded nearly three kilometres offshore near the tip of Farewell Spit in Golden Bay, located at the northern end of South Island.
>
> The whales were discovered on Monday night by a tour operator. At that time 21 were already dead.
>
> The remote location meant rescuers were unable to help the marine mammals and authorities hoped the survivors might refloat on the afternoon tide yesterday, but in fact they moved closer to the shoreline.
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> Six more died overnight, and with no other options Department of Conservation area manager John Mason said the remainder of the group would be humanely put down.
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> "They hadn't moved overnight, they were all pretty much in the same position, so we've made the decision to euthanase the surviving 18," he told the Nelson Mail.
>
> Mass whale strandings are not uncommon at Farewell Spit, the New Zealand Herald reported, with the mammals able to swim into the relatively shallow water during high tide, but becoming stuck on the sand when the tide recedes very quickly.
>
> The tragic stranding followed the death of 23 sperm whales and two minke whales in a stranding in Australia's island state of Tasmania over the weekend.
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> A rescue bid to save the sole survivor, a 12-metre whale stranded off a sandbank in Macquarie Harbour, on Tasmania's west coast, was being reassessed Wednesday after bad weather forced authorities to abandon their attempts yesterday.
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> Incident controller Chris Arthur, from the state's Parks and Wildlife Service, said the whale had been "parked" on a sandbar just inside the harbor entrance and would be monitored until weather conditions were safe for rescue crews to assist it.
>
> Read more: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/whales-shot-after-tragic-stranding-of-65-strong-pod-in-new-zealand/story-e6frfku0-1226196671039#ixzz1dplzNUyP
>
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