Despite major effort, stranded pilot whales in NZ cannot be saved Special

Collingwood - Thirty-three pilot whales refloated yesterday have stranded themselves again in New Zealand. Having deteriorated significantly, the NZ Dept. of Conservation has chosen to euthanize them.

For the 99 pilot whales that stranded themselves on Monday at Farewell Spit on New Zealand's South Island, their fight for survival was matched only by the massive efforts of the dedicated volunteers trying to save them. Fifty to 90 Project Jonah volunteers had worked tirelessly alongside the Department of Conservation to provide first aid to the whales since they stranded on Monday, but overnight, thirty-four whales died and another 40 remained stranded. A further 17 whales managed to refloat themselves Project Jonah said, "and were last reported to be swimming strongly with about 28 metres of water beneath them." Unfortunately, added the organization, the remaining forty, once refloated, stranded themselves again on the beach. Thirty-five remained alive yesterday morning. In the afternoon, volunteers attempted to refloat the whales again and it looked promising for awhile, until the whales chose to strand themselves once more. Now extremely sick, the mammals are facing a slow and agonizing death, so the decision has been made to euthanize them. Strandings at Golden Bay are not uncommon said Project Jonah, but refloating the whales is difficult in an area where tides come in and recede rapidly. CEO, Kimberly Muncaster said when the 40 pilot whales were refloated the first time, " they didn’t move quickly enough in the right direction and got caught on the sand." According to the American Cetacean Society, pilot whales are a part of the dolphin family and second only in size to killer whales. Males are much larger than females, with adults measuring up to 20 feet (6.1 m) and weighing up to 3 tons. Females, they add, "measure up to 16 feet (4.9 m) and weigh up to 1.5 tons." Kerry O'Brien, a Marine Mammal Medic volunteer, who is currently in the far north of NZ and prepping for potential strandings there, had colleagues in Golden Bay helping the pilot whales. She told Digital Journal:

It is a highly dangerous time for cetaceans when they strand. They come in fast and furious with all their body weight, hence the injuries. They can also roll over one another and get entangled causing more injuries and can also suffocate or drown.

EMB: So how do medics attempt to help the whales? KO: If medics are alerted to a possible stranding, its a lot better to be able to assist them at this early stage rather than what happens in remote areas when they are found a day later, and are so are very unwell. This usually means a higher mortality rate. EMB: Why is stranding so dire for the whales? KO: Being out of the water is not natural for them. Being pelagic, they only know deep water so it's all very stressful for them. Body heat rises, their skin dries out and they suffer from sunburn. Their skin is very, very delicate and we must be extremely cautious when we handle them. EMB: So how do you treat them until they can be refloated? KO: It's airway clear, keeping them wet and cool (continuously) protecting them from other animals or people. We keep them as calm as we possibly can. I find once a whale gets to know me, they calm down after a while and respond to calm quiet voices. As the hours pass, I find they love a lullaby or gentle humming. Treatment does get more complicated depending how long they are beached. The problem these heavy mammals face, is not a simple one to overcome. No longer supported by the buoyancy of the water, when whales strand, their weight crushes their own internal organs; which makes a rapid return to the ocean even more urgent. Despite several theories, there is no concrete answer as to why cetaceans mass strand. Even though it happens frequently, strandings remain, a scarcely understood phenomenon. Project Jonah's final attempt to return 33 whales to the ocean yesterday afternoon looked promising at first, but the organization said a short while ago, "we're sad to report the tragic news that the whales that we refloated yesterday have restranded. Their condition is poor and the Department of Conservation has made the decision to euthanize [them]." Project Jonah said the mammals "had moved further up the Spit to the extreme boundary of our ability to reach them and were showing significant signs of physical deterioration and distress." The organization thanked everyone for their kind words and support over the past three days including, "the sterling efforts of all the volunteers involved."