28 whales have died in Western Australia, in the Toby Inlet area, after the stranding of a group of 140 pilot whales. The official budget comes from the Parks and Wildlife Agency Western Australia. Marine fauna experts and volunteers tried frantically for hours to save all the specimens, largely succeeding and allowing the surviving cetaceans to set sail again, whose navigation route was monitored from above with an airplane. The pilot whales ended up in a shallow water spot near an estuary in the state’s southwest, Geographe Bay.
Whale stranding
The incident was reported by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions of Western Australia. The stranding area is located near the town of Dunsborough, in a region popular with tourists, about 236km south of the state capital, Perth. Events like these – explained the Department – “involve the euthanasia of stranded animals, a more humane end”. Photos posted on Facebook by the state Parks and Wildlife Agency shortly before the rescue show a crowd of people near several beached whales. More than 100 volunteers were present on site. In July last year, more than 50 pilot whales died after washing up on beaches in Western Australia. The largest whale stranding in Dunsborough occurred in 1996, when 320 pilot whales became stranded in the shallow waters. Pilot whales are known for their strong social bonds, so “when one gets into trouble, the others often follow,” explains the University of Western Australia.
