NGAWI, New Zealand | Forty-three pilot whales have died after becoming stranded along a remote, rocky stretch of New Zealand’s North Island, despite rescue efforts by conservation workers, marine mammal specialists and local volunteers, the country’s Department of Conservation (DOC) confirmed on Friday, November 6.
The whales were discovered along several kilometres of the Ngawi coastline near Cape Palliser in the Wairarapa region after coming ashore overnight on Wednesday. The animals were trapped among rocks, making rescue operations difficult.
According to the Department of Conservation, staff were alerted shortly after 8 a.m. Thursday and worked with local Māori communities, known as iwi, and marine rescue organisation Project Jonah to save the surviving animals. Rescuers attempted to return some of the whales to the sea during high tide, but none survived.
Project Jonah said an estimated 40 to 50 whales had become stranded along the coastline, with many already dead when they were discovered. The group’s rescue efforts were hampered by the remote location, strong surf and sharp rocks in the intertidal area. The department confirmed that 43 whales had died.
The conservation agency is coordinating with local iwi to manage the whales’ burial and observe cultural protocols. Whales are regarded as taonga, or treasured and sacred beings, in Māori culture.
The cause of the mass stranding remains unknown. Scientists have identified several possible factors behind such incidents, including navigation difficulties, illness, environmental conditions and the highly social behaviour of pilot whales, which live in close-knit family groups. When one animal becomes stranded, others may follow or remain nearby.
Pilot whales are actually among the largest members of the dolphin family. According to the Department of Conservation, long-finned pilot whales are common in New Zealand waters and typically travel in stable groups of 20 to 100 animals.
New Zealand is one of the world’s major whale-stranding hotspots. The Department of Conservation has recorded more than 5,000 whale and dolphin strandings around the country’s coastline since 1840 and responds to an average of 85 marine mammal stranding incidents annually.
The country’s largest recorded pilot whale stranding occurred in 1918, when an estimated 1,000 whales came ashore in the Chatham Islands. The Ngawi incident is particularly unusual because mass strandings are uncommon along that part of the Wairarapa coast.
The latest tragedy highlights the continuing challenges faced by marine conservation authorities and rescue groups in responding to mass strandings, particularly along remote and hazardous coastlines.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
