More than 200 pilot whales have become stranded near Macquarie Harbour on Tasmania‘s west coast, two years after Australia’s biggest ever stranding in the same spot.
Wildlife experts and Tasmanian police are headed to the location to investigate the mass stranding and attempt to rescue the surviving whales.
About half of the whales that have washed ashore are still alive, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania told Daily Mail Australia.
Experts say the stranded whales have come from the same pod.
Approximately 230 pilot whales have become stranded (pictured) on Ocean Beach and on a sand flat inside Macquarie Harbour on Tasmania’s east coast
Wildlife experts and Tasmanian police are investigating the mass stranding and trying to rescue the surviving whales
‘The animals, which appear to be pilot whales, are stranded on Ocean Beach. A number of animals are stranded on a sand flat inside Macquarie Harbour,’ NRE Tas said.
The department confirmed that a team from the Marine Conservation Program was headed to the area with whale rescue gear.
They will be working alongside officers from the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service and Tasmanian Police.
‘Marine wildlife experts will assess the scene and the situation to plan an appropriate response,’ the statement read.
The department explained they had a manual for such an incident that had been updated since Australia’s largest stranding in 2020 at the same location which saw at least 380 whales die.
‘The department has a comprehensive Cetacean Incident Manual which has undergone extensive review since the 2020 mass stranding and which guides a stranding response.’
‘Stranding response in this area is complex. If it is determined there is a need for help from the general public, a request will be made through various avenues,’ they added.
The mass stranding comes just two days after 14 sperm whales died when they washed ashore on King Island, which off Tasmania‘s north-west coast.
The mass stranding comes two days after 14 sperm whales washed ashore on King Island (picture courtesy of NRE Tas)
The whale carcasses were found at a local fishing area off the island’s west coast on Monday (picture courtesy of NRE Tas)
Those whales, which were all young males, were discovered on Monday afternoon at a local fishing spot.
Wildlife biologists and a vet are still investigating how the pod became stranded – with theories ranging from warmer temperatures to seismic activity in the area.
Today’s stranding comes two years after Australia’s largest mass whale stranding, which also occurred near Macquarie Harbour in Tasmania.
More than 470 pilot whales were stranded off the coast as rescuers at the time battled to save the remaining few that were still alive.
Out of the 470 that washed ashore, at least 380 whales died.
The search effort was initially launched after 270 whales were spotted struggling in shallow water.
Rescuers were hampered by the extremely cold temperatures and rain.
Wildlife scientist Vanessa Pirotta said what caused the whales to head towards the shore remained ‘a complete mystery’ but a navigation error was a possibility
The whales were young males, according to Tasmania’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment
The Department of Natural Resources and Environment said it was not unusual to see sperm whales in the King Island area where the first stranding occurred this week.
‘It is not unusual for sperm whales to be sighted in Tasmania and the area the whales have stranded is within the normal range and habitat for sperm whales,’ a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.
‘While further inquiries are yet to be carried out, it is possible the whales were part of the same bachelor pod – a group of younger male sperm whales associating together after leaving the maternal group.’
Parks and Wildlife Service staff are monitoring the scene.
Swimmers and surfers have also been warned to avoid the west coast of King Island as the whale carcasses could attract sharks.
MCP wildlife biologists and a vet are at King Island investigating the stranding
The department said it was not unusual to see sperm whales off the coast of King Island
The series of strandings comes exactly two years after the largest whale stranding in Australia’s history which also occurred near Macquarie Harbour
More than 470 pilot whales became stranded off the coast of Tasmania. At least 380 died
Teams of rescuers tried to save the remaining few whales that were still alive
Beached whales most often die of dehydration.
The animals have a very thick layer of blubber that keeps them warm in deep-sea temperatures, but causes them to rapidly overheat near the surface.
A stranded whale may also be crushed to death by their own weight, without water acting as a support, or else if they are stranded in deep water they may drown if their blowholes are covered.
Mass whale strandings occur relatively often in Tasmania.