A large pod of more than 90 long-finned pilot whales have become beached in a mass stranding event on the southern coast of Western Australia.
The distressing stranding unfolded around 150m from Cheynes Beach in Albany, around 400km south of Perth, on Tuesday.
While 51 of the whales have died overnight, local wildlife authorities are continuing to attempt to save the 45 remaining mammals.
More than 100 staff from Western Australia’s Parks and Wildlife Service and 250 volunteers have “worked tirelessly” in and out of the water to keep the 45 pilot whales alive throughout Wednesday, the wildlife service said in an update.
Staff and volunteers, with the help of small boats, kayaks and surf skis, will attempt to “safely and gently move the animals into deeper waters, giving them the best chance of survival”, the government organisation said.
Incident Controller Peter Hartley said: “We’re analysing their behaviour...once they have recovered and we believe they are strong enough, we will release them as a pod.
“We’re just going to try and gently herd them out of the bay, away form the rocky point and into deeper water.
“Once the whales show signs they are improving, they are able to swim freely, we will release them as a group.”
He aded: “It’s highly stressful for the people here...and you’ve got to have something to hold on to, so we’re optimistic and we’re hopeful at this stage.”
Experts responding on the beach include Perth Zoo veterinarians and marine fauna experts, equipped with specialised equipment, including vessels and slings.
A team of workers camped on the beach overnight and set up a safety zone around the stranding area. Members of the public are urged to avoid the area.
It is not know what led the pilot whales to beach themselves.
Staff from the Cheynes Beach Caravan Park spotted the phenomenon near the beach on Tuesday.
In a Facebook post they wrote: “We really don’t know what is happening, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) are guessing there maybe killer whales in the area and they are in defensive mode.”
The incident in Australia comes just days after more than 50 pilot whales died following a mass stranding on a Scottish beach.
Marine rescuers were called to Traigh Mhor in North Tolsta, on the Isle of Lewis, to reports that dozens of the mammals were in difficulty there on July 16.
Some died and the remaining whales were euthanised on welfare grounds. The cause of the stranding is unknown but it is thought the pod may have followed one of the females who was giving birth.
Long-finned pilot whales live off the southern coast of Australia in waters stretching across Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and southern New South Wales.
They are also found in New Zealand, South America, South Africa and the Arctic.
The whales are very social and live in large schools of hundreds of animals, separated into close-knit pods of 10 to 20 individuals, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
