45 pilot whales stranded on remote Australia beach euthanised after rescue fails
- Nearly 100 long-finned pilot whales became stranded on a Western Australian beach where more than 50 died, while the remaining were euthanised following futile efforts to rescue them
- An official who oversaw the response described the decision to put down the survivors as ‘incredibly hard’
A pod of almost 100 whales that beached on the southwestern Australian coast were euthanised on Wednesday after a second day of frantic, but unsuccessful efforts to rescue them, authorities said.
The pod of long-finned pilot whales stranded themselves on Tuesday on Cheynes Beach east of the former whaling station of Albany in Western Australia state, south of the capital Perth.
Despite the efforts of 100 wildlife officers and 250 volunteers wearing wetsuits to protect against the Southern Hemisphere winter cold, 52 stranded whales died on the beach.
The remaining 45 were euthanised on Wednesday after efforts to lead them to deeper water failed. The survivors continually returned to the shallows, the Western Australia Parks and Wildlife Service said in a statement late Wednesday.
“Sadly, the decision had to be made to euthanise the remaining whales to avoid prolonging their suffering,” the service said.
“It was a difficult decision for all involved, however the welfare of the whales had to take precedence,” it added.