Dozens of pilot whales stranded on New Zealand beach

Conservation workers and volunteers were today racing against time in a bid to save 123 pilot whales beached on New Zealand’s South Island.

At least three of the pod died before they could be shepherded back out to sea.

Department of Conservation area manager John Mason said workers had tracked the pod of whales during the day after they were seen apparently confused and milling around near the shore.

The first whale had stranded yesterday afternoon and the rest of the pod of 13-to-16-foot whales had progressively stranded on the shallow sandy beach.

“It wasn’t a great surprise to us when they began to strand when the tide turned and began to go out,” he said.

About 100 local people had volunteered to try to keep the whales as comfortable as possible on the beach near Farewell Spit in the north of South Island, Mason said.