Around 270 pilot whales have become stranded on a sandbar on the remote western coast of Tasmania. Rescuers in Australia say that at least a third of the whales have died and that more are dying. 

The BBC reports that rescuers from the Tasmanian Marine Conservation Program arrived late on Monday and found three groups of whales across Macquarie Heads – a remote tip of the island with limited vessel and road access.

About 200 of the mammals had washed up on a sandbar near a boat ramp, while 30 others were found several hundred meters away. Another 30 were found further inland along Ocean Beach.

A team of about 40 trained rescuers began to “re-float” a small number of whales on Tuesday morning – using equipment to push the animals off a sandbar into deeper waters. Crews were able to save 25 of the animals and are aiming to escort more back into the sea.

It’s unknown what drew the whales to the shore. Marine biologists say the rescue mission will likely take days.

Reuters quotes Nic Deka, a regional manager for Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service, saying, “While strandings are not uncommon in Tasmania, and while strandings of this scale aren’t (unprecedented), we certainly haven’t had one for at least 10 years.”

Nevertheless, mass strandings are not uncommon in the region. In 2018, more than 150 short-finned pilot whales were found stranded in Hamelin Bay, Western Australia. Also, in 2017, over 400 pilot whales became stranded after they swam into the shallow waters of Golden Bay, near Farewell Spit, at the northernmost tip of the South Island of New Zealand.

Pilot whales are among the largest of the oceanic dolphins, exceeded in size only by the killer whale.

Dozens of pilot whales dead after becoming stranded off coast of Tasmania

Thanks to Alaric Bond and David Rye for contributing to this post.