Stranded whales put down

A large group of whales that had become stranded near Cape Town, South Africa had to be put down after a failed rescue attempt.

The whales, identified as a group of Pilot whales consisting of adults and calves, became stranded early on May 30, 2009 near Capetown, South Africa. This normally popular beach is now littered with the remains of approximately 55 whales after a failed attempt by hundreds of volunteers and scientists to save the whales. It has been reported that a large number of the whales were put down, while an undetermined number died through the day. Apparently high waves hampered the rescue efforts by pushing the whales back to shore. Some 20 whales had been successfully pushed back into the ocean. Scientists said that this was the first known incidence of a mass beaching of whales on this stretch of coast.