Watch: 145 pilot whales stranded in New Zealand Posted on 27 November 2018 About 145 Pilot whales stranded themselves in New Zealand last weekend. According to a press release issued by the New Zealand government’s Department of Conservation there were two pods found stranded along Mason Bay, a remote beach on the island nation’s southern coast. When the whales were discovered, most of the animals were already dead and those still alive, were extremely weak. View this post on Instagram Trying to enjoy watching the pilot whales but also keep an eye out for the Oceanic whitetip sharks that were following 👀🦈 – 📍Kailua-Kona, Big Island, Hawaii – #pilotwhale #whale #oceanicwhitetip #ocean #hawaii #bigisland #lethawaiihappen #hawaiilife #aloha #alohastate #naturephotography #Idealtravels #travellers #travelguide #natgeo #natgeoyourshot #underwater #travel #ecotourism #passportboundless #snorkelling #underwater #padi #nikon #nikond850 #ikelite #amazingplanet A post shared by withgraham (@withgraham) on Nov 26, 2018 at 2:11am PST By the time officials from New Zealand’s Department of Conservation (DOC) arrived on the scene, the decision was made to euthanize the remaining animals. Due to the remote location, lack of people in the vicinity and the difficulty of reaching the beach, efforts to try get the whales back into the ocean would have seen the already debilitated Pilot whales suffer further. “Sadly, the likelihood of being able to successfully re-float the remaining whales was extremely low.” said Ren Leppens, the DOC’s operations manager in the press statement. The decision to euthanize was the humane thing to do. Pilot whales are known for stranding themselves, although the reason behind this occurrence is still unclear. ‘Exactly why whales and dolphins strand is not fully known but factors can include sickness, navigational error, geographical features, a rapidly falling tide, being chased by a predator, or extreme weather. More than one factor may contribute to a stranding.’ Pilot whales are not actually whales, but are a large species of cetacean (dolphin). There are two species of Pilot whales, namely the long-finned and the short-finned pilot whale. Also read: In black and white: false killer whales stranded in Noordhoek View this post on Instagram It’s Friday morning! Hope everyone one had a good week and has a great weekend! ❤ – Look how happy these Short finned pilot whales look just swimming so gracefully. The first one rolling over and the second one trying to grab a peace of kelp floating by! @newportcoastaladventure – If you have been whale watching tag the name of the company you went with!👍 A post shared by Slater Moore (@slatermoorephotography) on Dec 15, 2017 at 8:48am PST Although distinctions between the two species aren’t glaringly obvious. Short-finned Pilot whales (pictured above) prefer the warm, tropical waters whereas long-finned pilot whales (pictured below) tend to frequent cold waters. View this post on Instagram Long-finned pilot whales. Despite their name, these marine mammals are in the dolphin family. Pilot whales are highly social, typically staying with the pod they were born into; however, males will venture out to mate. // Globicephala melas . . . . . . #pilotwhale #dolphin #longfinnedpilotwhale #visitcapebreton #dolphinsofinstagram #marinemammals #roamtheplanet #wildplanet #wildlifeIG #wildlifeonearth #wildlifeowners #animal_sultans #oceanlife #ourplanetdaily #wildlife_perfection #nb_nature_brilliance #explorecanada #naturesbestphotomagazine #sharecangeo #canadiancreatives #opcmag #exploreCB #conservethewonder #cangeotravel #yourshotphotographer #explorecanada #earthcapture #earthfocus #canoncanada #canon5dmarkiv @bbcearth @wildgeography @wildlife.hd @canon_photos @canoncanada @cangeo @wildlife @canon_photos @thecanidproject @natgeowild @cwf_fcf @canada @wildlifeplanet @wildlifepage @roamtheplanet @livingonearth @naturesbestphotomagazine @animal_sultans @splendid_animals @canada @national.earth @visitcapebretonisland @natgeoyourshot @nature_brilliance @animalplanet @naturesbestphotomagazine @visitnovascotia A post shared by Brittany Crossman (@bkcrossman) on Aug 8, 2018 at 5:22pm PDT Pilot whales are extremely social creatures and are most likely to stay with the pod they were born into, throughout their lifetime. Image source: Pixabay Related Posts Cape Town’s sustainability: Leading the way in environmental initiatives 1 June 2023 As National Environmental Month commences in South Africa, Cape Town stands proudly at the forefront... read more Kapama to host Safari Guide of the Year Awards 2023 1 June 2023 Kapama Private Game Reserve near Hoedspruit will host this year’s Safari Guide of the Year... read more Blood Lions relaunches for public viewing on YouTube 1 June 2023 Award-winning documentary feature film Blood Lions has been relaunched on YouTube for public viewing, creating... read more PREV ARTICLE NEXT ARTICLE
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