Tag: whale deaths

Up to 145 Whales Die in Mass Stranding in New Zealand

New Zealand has one of the world’s highest rates of whale strandings. The Department of Conservation said it responds to an average of 85 incidents a year, mostly for single animals.

Wellington: Up to 145 pilot whales died in a mass stranding on a remote New Zealand island at the weekend, authorities said on Monday.

The Department of Conservation (DOC) said two pods of pilot whales were stranded on a beach on Stewart Island, 30 km (20 miles) south of New Zealand‘s South Island.

Half of the whales were already dead when they were found by DOC officers, who were notified on Saturday night by a hiker camping in the area.

A decision was made to put the rest of the whales down due to their poor condition and the remote location, DOC Rakiura Operations Manager Ren Leppens said.

“Sadly, the likelihood of being able to successfully refloat the remaining whales was extremely low,” said Leppens, who described it as the most humane thing to do.

“However, it’s always a heart-breaking decision to make,” he said.

Also Read: Sperm Whale Found Dead in Indonesia Had Plastic Bottles, Bags in Stomach

New Zealand has one of the world’s highest rates of whale strandings, although the precise cause for it is not known.

The DOC said it responds to an average of 85 incidents a year, mostly for single animals.

Many factors could contribute to such whale and dolphin strandings, including sickness, navigational error, geographical features, a rapidly falling tide, being chased by a predator, or extreme weather, the DOC said.

Ten pygmy killer whales were also stranded on Sunday at 90 Mile Beach on the western coast of the North Island. Two have since died and attempts were being made to refloat the rest.

The DOC said the two events were unlikely to be related.

Sperm Whale Found Dead in Indonesia Had Plastic Bottles, Bags in Stomach

The 9.5-metre whale was found in waters near Kapota Island, part of the Wakatobi National Park, south east of Sulawesi.

Jakarta: A sperm whale found dead in a national park in Indonesia had nearly six kg of plastic waste, including 115 cups, in its stomach, park officials said on Tuesday.

The 9.5-metre (31.17 ft) whale was found in waters near Kapota Island, part of the Wakatobi National Park, south east of Sulawesi, the park said in a statement.

The park is famous among divers for its large area of reefs and diverse marine life including rays and whales.

The cause of death was not known, but park officials found plastic bottles, bags, sandals, and a sack with more than 1,000 pieces of string in the whale‘s stomach.

In June, the death of a pilot whale in Thailand with 80 pieces of plastic rubbish in its stomach garnered headlines locally, but drew more attention outside the country.

Also Read: More Than Half World’s Killer Whales Are Threatened by Leftover Industrial Chemicals

Five Asian nations – China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand – account for up to 60% of plastic waste leaking into oceans, said a 2015 report by the environmental campaigner Ocean Conservancy and the McKinsey Center for Business and Environment.

Indonesia, ranked second behind China in the 2015 study of mismanaged plastic waste from populations living near coastal areas in 192 countries, has pledged $1 billion a year to reduce marine plastic debris by 70% by 2025.

Wakatobi park planned to bury the whale carcass at high tide on Tuesday, and the remains would be used for study purposes by the local marine academy.