At least 20 pilot whales wash ashore near Cape Palliser — Taipei Times

At least 20 pilot whales washed ashore on the Ngawi coast near Cape Palliser, the southernmost point of New Zealand’s North Island. Rescuers tried to return several surviving animals to the sea. Taipei Times reports.

Rescue operation

New Zealand’s Department of Conservation worked with representatives of iwi, a Māori tribal community, and Project Jonah, an organization specializing in rescuing stranded whales. Rescuers have already managed to return two pilot whales to the water.

According to Radio New Zealand, local residents said that up to 50 pilot whales may have washed ashore overnight. Most of the animals died from injuries, while volunteers tried to keep the survivors alive by pouring water over them from buckets and using towels.

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Attempt to return the animals during high tide

Project Jonah said on Facebook that four pilot whales remained alive. Rescuers planned to try to return them to the sea during high tide.

Whale strandings are common in New Zealand and neighboring Australia, where large populations of pilot whales live in deep waters. The causes of such incidents are currently unknown.