Sri Lanka: Navy, fishermen, volunteers rush to rescue about 100 stranded pilot whales

On November 2, Sri Lanka’s Navy, local Fishermen, Coast Guard, Wildlife, and Environmental Groups personnel launched a rescue mission to save at least 120 short-finned pilot whales stranded in the country’s western coast of Panadura. In one of the largest beaching in the country the navy personnel, along with local fishermen pushed the whales back into the ocean about 15 miles (25 km) south of Colombo. Taking to his official handle on Twitter, politician Namal Rajapaksa thanked the “stellar efforts” of navy personnel, Vice Adm.Nishantha Ulugetenne, fishermen, and other volunteers for their contribution to the rescue mission. 

This wouldn’t be the first in the incidences of mass pilot whale beaching, as only in September nearly 470 casualties of whales were recorded in one of the largest strandings in Australia’s Macquarie Harbour in Tasmania. However, in the biggest-ever mass stranding of whales on the island of Sri Lanka, the sailors from the navy and the coast guard managed to rescue 120 pilot whales by dawn in an overnight rescue mission. Several pilot whales were pulled from the shore and released back into the ocean. Two whales died of the injuries in the process, according to sources of CNA.

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Mostly die of fatigue and distress

Local NGOs along with Sri Lanka's Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) called the incident “very unusual” as the pod of fishes in an immensely large number was discovered on the shores of the South Asian country. Sri Lanka deployed a small inshore patrol craft to monitor the whales. The pilot whales beaching in large gathering is common due to their extremely sociable nature, and in the event of stranding, the gigantic fishes mostly die of fatigue and distress, reducing their chance of survival, marine scientist Vanessa Pirotta told Australian broadcaster ABC News.

Of the total 500 whales stranded on a beach along two sandbars on the western coast of Australia, Government marine conservationists and volunteers managed to rescue a few, while 380 were dead. The major challenge cited by the conservationists was the issue of the whales refloating onshore despite putting them back in the water that made the missions difficult. 

Read: More Stranded Whales Rescued On Coast Of Tasmania

Read: Australia Begins Disposal Of 350 Dead Whale Carcasses In Clean-up Mission