Whales beyond saving

last updated 8 January 2015

South Island, New Zealand

Officials had to shoot 41 pilot whales this week after the animals were beached by rough seas. “Given the hopelessness of being able to successfully refloat the whales,” said Greg Napp of the Department of Conservation, “our prime concern was then to avoid the whales’ suffering a long and painful death.” It was the second major whale beaching in the area in as many weeks. In the first incident, rescuers managed to save 100 of 129 pilot whales that beached themselves on the same spit 12 days earlier. The shallow area around the tip of the island is considered particularly treacherous for whales.