A group of short-finned pilot whales found themselves washed ashore at Matarangi Spit, north of Wellington, earlier this weekend. Among the eleven whales were also two calves.
The marine mammal rescue organisation Project Jonah responded to the alert together with the Department of Conservation (DOC). They were not the only ones though. Upon arriving at the scene, several locals and holidaymakers had already started covering the whales with water and digging trenches around them. Over the next couple of hours, more than a thousand locals and holidaymakers pitched in to help the stranded whales.
Since pilot whales are social animals, they need to be refloated all at the same time to prevent them from stranding themselves all over again when looking for their group. Attempts were thus postponed to the afternoon when tides would be higher. With the combined effort, seven whales were then refloated successfully and shepherded over the bar and out of the harbour by four boats. According to the DOC, “they were seen swimming off strongly and being active and it’s hoped that they will remain at sea”. Nevertheless, Project Jonah asked the public to keep an eye out for struggling pilot whales during the next few days in case of restranding.
Unfortunately, four of the stranded whales, including one calf, had died earlier in the morning before refloating efforts could take place. They were blessed by local Iwi before samples and measurements were taken and the whales were buried on the beach.
After the mostly successful rescue attempt, many people had shown interest in getting involved and support the work of the marine mammal rescuers. Project Jonah offers courses around the country for further information and marine mammal medic training courses. Like many other Marine Mammal Action teams, they also rely on support and donation from members of the public to facilitate such successful rescue attempts.
Their report on the mass stranding can be found on their facebook page
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