Four pilot whales dead in mass stranding at New Zealand beach, seven rescued

Seven pilot whales survived a mass stranding at Matarangi Harbour in New Zealand and were successfully herded back to the sea with the help of boats on December 4. The Department of Conservation, in a statement, said an environmental organisation, locals and volunteers helped to rescue the whales.

“They were seen swimming strongly and being active and it’s hoped they will remain at sea,” said the department.

After refloating the rescued whales, the staff of the conservation department buried four dead whales above the high tide mark at Matarangi. The department also asked locals to keep an eye on the refloated whales in case they again get stranded and contact staff members immediately.

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Project Jonah, the environmental organisation in New Zealand, informed that short-finned pilot whales got stranded at the Matarangi Spit. Around a thousand people looked after the whales and the organisation urged trained medic to help the rescue operation alongside experienced Department of Conservation rangers. According to Project Jonah, short-finned Pilot whales are closely related to the long-finned pilot whales that regularly mass strand in New Zealand. 

"In a coordinated effort, the whales were refloated together and then several boats shepherded the whales out of the harbour. A brilliant effort from all involved," said the organisation in a Facebook update.

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Netizens laud rescuers

Social media lauded the effort of conservationists and volunteers after seven whales were successfully re-floated in the sea. “Good to hear! Job well done, sad for the ones who passed... hopefully the surviving ones go further out to sea ❤️,” commented a user. “That’s great news. We were there for most of the day and left while they were still in the estuary. Thanks for all the wonderful work today, Project Jonah and DOC staff. It looked very stressful trying to wrangle the many people there doing their best to help,” wrote another user.

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