More beached whales on Manawatu coastline possible

MANAWATU STANDARD

NOT A HAPPY ENDING: Debbie Jerard and her children Morgan, 8, Reif, 7, and Merrick, 9, take a closer look at the dead whale on Foxton beach.

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More whales could wash up along the Manawatu coastline in the coming days as survivors from a previous stranding succumb to exhaustion.

Two pilot whales – both with massive bite marks thought to be from great white sharks – were buried at Foxton beach yesterday after getting stranded. They were found about 1 kilometre apart.

One of the whales was found at 9.30pm on Thursday and Conservation Department workers had hoped to try to refloat it during the next high tide, but the animal did not survive that long. The other was discovered dead yesterday morning.

The Conservation Department believes the whales were close to death before they were stranded on the beach and were probably among the 60 rescued from the Coromandel last month.

More than 120 whales died over 48 hours in two separate beachings at the remote Farewell Spit in Golden Bay and at Colville Bay, north of Coromandel.

"They were probably already very sick and struggling from exhaustion at sea. Sadly they don't always survive when they are refloated," DOC's Palmerston North biodiversity programme manager, Vivienne McGlynn said.

The dead whales both had tags in their tales, which DOC places on whales when they are refloated. "So once we get that information it will hopefully confirm where they have actually come from.

"If people come across other whales and see these tags, please don't remove them. The tags are very important," she said.

Samples from the whales were taken and would be sent to Te Papa and Auckland University of Technology's marine studies department.

It was not known exactly what caused whales to become stranded, she said.

Pilot whales migrated past New Zealand over summer and followed fish into shallow waters, sometimes becoming disoriented and stranded.

Farewell Spit has a history of strandings. In December 2006, 140 pilot whales were stranded at Puponga Bay at the base of the spit. Most were saved by rescuers.

But just two weeks later, on New Year's Day 2007, 50 more beached at the same spot of the most recent stranding. All died.

- © Fairfax NZ News