200 Pilot Whales Found Dead On West Coast Of Tasmania, Australia

The whales died after stranding themselves on an exposed...

Australia: Australian beach found almost 200 pilot whales dead after stranding themselves on an exposed, surf-swept beach on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, Australian rescuers said Thursday.

According to state wildlife services, who described a tough battle ahead to rescue survivors, Just 35 of the roughly 230 beached whales are still alive.

Taking notes from the visuals, the scene revealed dozens of glossy, black mammals strewn along Ocean Beach, stuck on the waterline where the frigid southern ocean meets the sand.

The locals covered some of the creatures with blankets and doused them with buckets of seawater to keep them alive until more help arrived.

"We have got about 35 surviving animals out on the beach and the primary focus this morning will be on the rescue and release of these animals," said state wildlife operations manager, Brendon Clark.

"Unfortunately we do have a high mortality rate on this particular stranding," he added.

"The environmental conditions, the surf out there on the exposed west coast, Ocean Beach, is certainly taking its toll on the animals."

Helpers usually wade into the water and use harnesses to float the mammals into deeper waters, but officials said a new technique will also be tested, using an aquaculture firm's mechanical aid.

From there a vessel will take them to deeper clearer waters to avoid a new stranding.

Earlier, Macquarie Harbour was the scene of the country's largest-ever mass stranding, involving almost 500 pilot whales.

More than 300 pilot whales died during that stranding, despite the efforts of dozens of volunteers who toiled for days in Tasmania's freezing waters to free them.

Clark said the conditions of the latest stranding were tougher for the whales than two years ago when the animals were in "much more sheltered waters".

Alert will also turn to the removal and disposal of carcasses, which often attract sharks.