Heroic efforts by Kiwis aid in rescue of stranded whale pod. Over 30 pilot whales were safely returned to the ocean after conservation workers and residents helped to refloat them, with four fatalities.
Background
New Zealand has recorded more than 5,000 whale strandings since 1840.
The largest pilot whale stranding was of an estimated 1,000 whales at the Chatham Islands in 1918.
Recent Stranding Event
More than 30 pilot whales stranded themselves on a beach in New Zealand and were safely returned to the ocean after conservation workers and residents helped to refloat them by lifting them on sheets.
Four of the pilot whales died.
Community Efforts
A team was monitoring Ruakākā Beach near the city of Whangārei in New Zealand’s north on Monday to ensure there were no signs of the whales saved Sunday stranding again, the Department of Conservation told The Associated Press.
The agency praised as “incredible” the efforts made by hundreds of people to help save the foundering pod.
Quotes
“It’s amazing to witness the genuine care and compassion people have shown toward these magnificent animals,” Joel Lauterbach, a Department of Conservation spokesperson, said in a statement.
“This response demonstrates the deep connection we all share with our marine environment.”
Cultural Significance
A Māori cultural ceremony for the three adult whales and one calf that died in the stranding took place on Monday.
New Zealand’s Indigenous people consider whales a taonga — a sacred treasure — of cultural significance.
- npr.org | New Zealanders help save about 30 whales after a pod strands on a ...
- yahoo.com | New Zealanders help to save about 30 whales after a pod strands ...
- apnews.com | New Zealanders save more than 30 stranded whales by lifting them ...
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