500 pilot dolphins die off New Zealand
The New Zealand government announced on Tuesday that two “big schools” attacked by sharks had washed ashore and the survivors were euthanized.
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yoAnimal drama in the open sea. About 500 experimental dolphins have died in New Zealand’s remote Chatham archipelago, the government said Tuesday, October 11, which did not carry out a rescue operation. Because of the remoteness of these islands whose waters are infested with sharks. The Department of Environmental Protection said two “large schools” of cetaceans were washed ashore and survivors were killed.
About 250 experimental dolphins were found stuck on Friday on Chatham Island, the largest island in this archipelago, and about 240 dolphins on Pete Island, three days later, according to the same source. The authorities said that due to the distance between this archipelago and New Zealand of about 800 km, the rescue operation was impossible. “Fear of shark attack on humans and cetaceans, the surviving pilot dolphins were killed by our team in order to spare them further suffering,” technical advisor Dave Lundquist told AFP.
“A decision like this is never taken lightly, but in cases like this it is the easiest option,” he added. The bodies will be left at the site. These strands are no stranger to the Chatham Archipelago, with the largest dating back to 1918, when a thousand pilot dolphins perished. A little over two weeks ago, about 200 pilot dolphins perished on a beach in Tasmania, Australia. Forty-four mammals were released.
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The causes of these major leads are not fully known. These pilot whales, which can reach up to six meters in length, can swerve behind a sick member of the herd. Bad weather or the presence of predators can also force them to change course.
According to official figures, about 300 pilot dolphins are stranded in New Zealand every year. It is not uncommon for individual strandings to include groups of 20 to 50 cetaceans, or even hundreds when a large group of mammals are involved.
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