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Associated Press

Rescuers on Saturday confirmed they saved a total of 108 long-finned pilot whales involved in Australia‘s largest mass stranding on Tasmania’s west coast. 
Rescuers said there were no more live whales in the harbour, after an estimated 470 whales became stranded this week.
Authorities have revised the number of dead whales down to 350.

Marine Conservation Programme biologist Kris Carlyon said on Saturday only one whale had restranded itself on Friday night, which was considered a success given 20 were rescued that day.
On Monday, around 270 whales were discovered at three sites in Macquarie Harbour. One-third were already dead before rescue efforts could begin.
A further 200 dead whales were spotted on Wednesday morning some 7-10km from the original site.
Efforts have begun to move the hundreds of carcasses out to deeper water using barges or towed by boats, which could take several days and relies on smooth conditions.
Authorities are experimenting with burying the dead whales at sea.

Pilot whales are known for stranding in mass groups. The top five largest beachings in Tasmania, dating to the early 1800s, all are from the same species.
The reason for the country’s biggest mass whale stranding will probably remain a mystery, a marine mammal specialist said, but the social nature of the species involved may have played a part.
David Hocking, a marine mammal scientist at Monash University in Melbourne, said pilot whales formed strong family bonds and could travel in groups of up to 1,000.
“If one or a few animals get themselves into trouble, they put out a distress call,” Hocking said on Saturday. “Rather than running away, their instinct is to come together as a group because they have safety in numbers. But that means a few animals getting into trouble means they call more animals into that same area.”
Long-finned pilot whales are more closely related to dolphins and rely on echolocation, a series of rebounding clicks, to navigate.
Australia’s largest mass stranding had previously been 320 pilot whales near the Western Australia state town of Dunsborough in 1996. Tasmania’s previous largest stranding involved 294 whales on the northwest coast in 1935.


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Australia

Rescuers save 108 whales in Australia’s biggest mass stranding

Rescuers attempt to save a whale on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on September 25, 2020. Photo: AFP

Rescuers work to save a whale on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania on September 25, 2020, as Australian rescuers were forced to begin euthanising some surviving whales from a mass stranding that has already killed 380 members of the giant pod. (Photo by Mell CHUN / AFP)

A whale lays on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania on September 25, 2020, as Australian rescuers were forced to begin euthanising some surviving whales from a mass stranding that has already killed 380 members of the giant pod. (Photo by Mell CHUN / AFP)

Australian rescuers rush to save stranded pilot whales off Tasmania, as dozens die

Volunteers and wildlife officials work to save a whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour in Tasmania. Photo: AFP

This handout photo taken and received from Brodie Weeding from The Advocate on September 22, 2020 shows a rescuer working to save a pod of whales stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania. - Rescuers faced a race against time to save nearly 200 whales stuck in the remote Australian harbour on September 22, hoping to prevent the toll of 90 dead from rising further after managing to free "a small number" of the stranded mammals. (Photo by Brodie WEEDING / BRODIE WEEDING/THE ADVOCATE / AFP) / -----EDITORS NOTE --- RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / BRODIE WEEDING / THE ADVOCATE" - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - NO ARCHIVES

TOPSHOT - Rescuers work to save a pod of whales stranded on a sandbar in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania on September 22, 2020. - Up to 90 whales have died and a "challenging" operation is underway to rescue 180 more still stranded in a remote bay in southern Australia on September 22. Scientists said two large pods of long-finned pilot whales became stuck on sandbars in Macquarie Harbour, on Tasmania's sparsely populated west coast. (Photo by Brodie WEEDING / POOL / AFP)

145 whales die after becoming stranded on New Zealand island

Pilot whales lie beached at Mason Bay, Rakiura on Stewart Island, New Zealand. Photo: AP

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Almost 500 long-finned pilot whales were found beached on Tasmania’s west coast early this week
As efforts begin to move the hundreds of carcasses out to deeper water, an expert says the reason for mass stranding will probably remain a mystery



As efforts begin to move the hundreds of carcasses out to deeper water, an expert says the reason for Australia’s biggest stranding will likely remain a mystery.


Animals

Rescuers save 108 whales in Australia’s biggest mass stranding

Almost 500 long-finned pilot whales were found beached on Tasmania’s west coast early this week As efforts begin to move the hundreds of carcasses out to deeper water, an expert says the reason for mass stranding will probably remain a mystery

Almost 500 long-finned pilot whales were found beached on Tasmania’s west coast early this week

As efforts begin to move the hundreds of carcasses out to deeper water, an expert says the reason for mass stranding will probably remain a mystery