500 pilot whales die as a result of mass strandings on remote New Zealand islands

• Hundreds of pilot whales die after becoming stranded near shark-infested waters.
• Surviving whales were euthanized to prevent further suffering, New Zealand’s Department of Conservation says.
• The Chatham Islands are among the top three “stranding hotspots” in New Zealand.

Hundreds of pilot whales have died after becoming stranded near the shark-infested waters of a remote island chain in the South Pacific.

The Department of Conservation in New Zealand told that nearly 500 whales washed up in the Chatham Islands, 840 kilometres (520 miles) east of the main South Island, in two separate mass stranding events over the weekend.

The department, according to Dave Lundquist, a marine technical adviser, does not attempt to refloat stranded whales in the area due to the risk of shark attacks on both people and whales. He stated that the surviving whales were euthanized to prevent further suffering.

“This decision is never taken lightly, but in this case, it is the most compassionate option,” Lundquist said.

According to Daren Grover, general manager of the rescue organisation Project Jonah, most of the pilot whales were already dead when they arrived on shore, and the survivors were in poor health.

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“Having such a large number of whales in one place is unusual, but not unheard of,” he said.

In addition to the risk posed by sharks, he stated that it was “almost impossible” for rescue teams to travel to the Chatham Islands on short notice, complicating the task of saving the whales.

The mass stranding occurs less than a month after approximately 200 pilot whales died off the coast of Tasmania, Australia.

According to the Department of Conservation, stranding of pilot whales is common, but the behaviour is not well understood. Individual whales strand, according to most scientists, because they are diseased and nearing the end of their natural lifespan.

The Chatham Islands, which are home to about 600 people, are one of New Zealand’s top three “stranding hotspots.” According to the department, the archipelago experienced the country’s largest recorded stranding of about 1,000 pilot whales in 1918.

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