Stewart Island: Around 145 pilot whales have died in New Zealand in the latest stranding on a beach on Stewart Island.
The stranded whales were found by a hiker in the remote island, who immediately informed concerned authorities.
Conservation officers found half the whales dead when they reached the spot and decided to put down the rest as the chances of returning them to the water were very bleak due to the terrible condition they were in.
“It’s always a heart-breaking decision to make,” Department of Conservation (DOC)’s Rakiura Operations Manager Ren Leppens stated while referring to their decision, according to Al Jazeera.
The DOC stated that they handle at least 85 incidents of strandings a year which are caused by sickness, navigational error or a chasing predator, amongst other reasons.
Last year, New Zealand reported its largest incident of whale strandings when 300 whales died on a beach in South Island.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]