Rescuers come to aid of stricken whales and dolphins

Rescuers worked today to save dozens of whales and several dolphins stranded on a beach in the southern Australian island state of Tasmania, the fourth beaching incident in recent months.

The 194 pilot whales and half a dozen bottlenose dolphins stranded on Naracoopa Beach on Tasmania’s King Island yesterday evening.

Strandings happen periodically in Tasmania as whales go by during their migration to and from Antarctic waters, but scientists do not know why it happens. It is unusual, however, for whales and dolphins to get stranded together.

Chris Arthur, of Tasmania’s Parks and Wildlife Service, told Australian Broadcasting Corp that 54 whales and seven dolphins were still alive.

“It’s amazing, some will some die straight away, some will survive for days,” he said. “These are fairly robust animals, pilot whales, we experienced that in the past. While they’re alive there is a chance.”

Rescuers were keeping the animals wet and trying to determine how to move them out to open water. More than 100 King Island residents had also volunteered to help the efforts.