Australian fight to save stranded whales
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Xinhua, November 14, 2011
Wildlife staff on Sunday battle wet and windy weather trying to save eight sperm whales stranded in shallow water at Tasmania's west coast, ABC News reported.
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Some of the sperm whales that died on Ocean Beach, near Strahan, yesterday afternoon. [Agencies] |
Twenty-two, mostly female, whales beached themselves on Ocean Beach near Strahan on Saturday, but 16 of them have died, and only four survived despite the rescue efforts of West Coast Parks and Wildlife Service personnel.
There were also another four sperms whales trapped in nearby Macquarie Harbor.
Marine experts consider Ocean Beach and Macquarie Harbor to be among Australia's main hot spots for whale stranding.
According to Chris Arthur from the Parks and Wildlife Service, a specialist whale rescue team has gone to Strahan to help, with about 18 people are using high-powered jets and nets to dislodge the whales, and help them to navigate a narrow channel back out to sea.
Rescuers are also hoping to guide the whales one by one out to sea using loud noises.
"Put it into perspective these animals are between 14 meters and 18 meters in length," Arthur told reporters in Tasmania. "That means that they can weigh anything from two-and-a-half to three tonnes to four-and-a-half to five tonnes."
Arthur said rough weather conditions at Ocean Beach are hampering rescue efforts.
"They're not making things easy at all. The beach is a high- energy beach. The water levels have been very high," he said. " Access is quite difficult because of the water levels and the conditions on the beach itself."
Arthur said Parks and Wildlife Service officers and locals in private boats were closely monitoring all eight whales.
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