More than 150 false killer whales stranded on a beach in Australia's Tasmania state
More than 150 false killer whales have stranded on a remote beach in Australia's island state of Tasmania, officials said Wednesday.
Marine experts, including veterinarians, are at the scene near Arthur River on Tasmania's northwest coast, according to a statement from the Department of Natural Resources and Environment.
Of the 157 beached whales, only 90 appeared to be alive, department liaison officer Brendon Clark said. Earlier, the department had reported 136 survivors.
The remote location, ocean conditions, and difficulty in transporting specialized equipment to the site are complicating rescue efforts. Authorities have yet to determine whether any of the whales—ranging in weight from 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) to 3 metric tons (3.3 U.S. tons)—can be successfully refloated.
"Attempting to refloat the animals directly into the surf would be challenging and pose significant safety risks to our staff and personnel," Clark told reporters.
"Our experts are on-site, working to determine the most suitable and humane response to this complex situation," he added.
This is the first recorded false killer whale stranding in Tasmania since 1974, when a pod of over 160 whales beached near Stanley on the northwest coast. Most whale strandings in Tasmania involve pilot whales.
Clark declined to speculate on the cause of the stranding but said carcasses would be examined for possible clues.
The whales were discovered Tuesday afternoon, and a helicopter reconnaissance confirmed no other stranded whales within a 10-kilometer (6-mile) radius. Some may have been stranded for as long as 48 hours by early Wednesday.
Arthur River resident Jocelyn Flint said her son discovered the stranded whales around midnight while shark fishing.
"I went to the scene in the early hours and returned after dawn, but they were too big to move," Flint said. "The water was surging up, and they were thrashing. They're just dying, sinking into the sand. I think it's too late."
"There are little babies among them, and further up, many large ones. It's heartbreaking," she added.
In 2022, 230 pilot whales stranded further south on the west coast at Macquarie Harbor. The largest mass stranding in Australian history occurred in the same harbor in 2020, when 470 long-finned pilot whales became stuck on sandbars. Most of the beached whales died in both cases.
The reasons for these strandings remain unclear but could include disorientation due to loud noises, illness, old age, injury, predator evasion, or severe weather.
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