In an unfortunate incident, more than 50 pilot whales died after stranding on a remote beach in Western Australia. Close to 100 long-finned pilot whales were first spotted swimming on Tuesday morning near Cheynes Beach east of Albany. But as the day progressed, the pod of whales were seen creating a heart-shaped colony before getting stranded on the beach. By close to evening a large stretch of the shoreline was covered in beached whales. The event was captured in a drone footage and shared on the internet.
"Sadly, 51 whales have died overnight after a mass stranding," Western Australia Parks and Wildlife Service said in a statement, reported news agency Reuters.
"(We) are working in partnership with registered volunteers and other organisations to try to return the remaining 46 whales to deeper water during the course of the day," the officials said further.
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According to marine experts, pilot whales are notorious for their strong social bonds, so when one whale gets into difficulty and strands, the rest usually follow. The unusual behaviour could also indicate stress or illness within the pod, some experts opined.
Mass whale strandings are generally witnessed in Australia and neighbouring New Zealand due to large colonies of pilot whales living in the deep oceans surrounding both island nations. However, it remains a mystery as to how these whales get trapped on beaches.
A pilot whale is estimated to be almost 1000 kg and can be nearly 4-metre-long.
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