New Zealand Euthanises Stranded Whales, Can No Longer Refloat Them Back to Oceans
Video Source: YouTube/ ITN
Efforts to refloat and save the eight whales stranded off the New Zealand's South Island have ended on Thursday, but not on a good note. The volunteers were left with no choice but to euthanise them just to end the sufferings of the beautiful creatures.
On Jan 14, 13 pilot whales beached themselves near Farewell Spit in Golden Bay. Five died on the first night alone. Volunteers worked on Wednesday to refloat them, all to see them back again on the shores.
Volunteers and members from the Department of Conservation had to deliver a hard decision.
On Thursday morning, the beautiful creatures, a member of the dolphin family and second to the killer whale in size, were shot and euthanized.
"It's really frustrating for everybody to work really hard for two days and get the result that we got this morning," John Mason from the Department of Conservation said in a statement.
"We have done all we can to help these whales but there is only so much we can do for them. Euthanizing them humanely relieves their suffering," he added.
Mr Mason said they resorted to the procedure because they noticed the whales were already getting stressed and suffering from the ordeal of being beached for hours several times over the past two days.
Video Source: YouTube/ CNN News
Whale strandings are common in Farewell Spit. Trapped whales get confused when they reach that point because of a large inter-tidal area. It is one of the worst areas in the world for whales to get beached. Various local media have reported at least 250 pilot whales have died in that area in the last five years alone.
Mr Mason said that for a year, only the month of August can be recorded as the sole time a whale didn't get stranded in that area.
"It's always in the back of your mind over that Christmas-New Year summer period about have we had a stranding, are there any whales in the bay. You think about the different scenarios of where they might strand and how you might deal with it and who you've got around to help. But you really don't know," he added.
