About thirty whales died when they became embarrassed on a New Zealand beach known to be a deadly trap for these cetaceans, authorities said Friday.
The New Zealand Department of Conservation noted that 29 long-finned pilot whales were already dead when the group of 34 marine mammals were found on Thursday on the remote Farewell Spit beach in the South Island of the two that make up the country.
His spokesman, Dave Winterburn, explained that his agents were taking care of the five survivors, but warned that “whales have been out of the water for some time.”
“Although it is an unfortunate event, whale embarrassment is a natural phenomenon,” he said. “The cause is unknown,” he added.
Farewell Spit, a 26-kilometre long tongue of sand that goes deep into the sea, has been the scene of more than 10 pilot whale embargoes in the last 15 years.
The most serious case was in February 2017, when nearly 700 cetaceans ran aground and 250 of them died.
Scientists are not sure why this beach is so dangerous. One theory is that the sandstrip generates a shallow area in the bay that interferes with the sonar navigation systems of these cetaceans.
Pilot whales are the most common species of whale in New Zealand and are particularly susceptible to mud.
Its specimens, which can grow up to six meters long, are regularly found on beaches stranded in large numbers.
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