Nearly 500 Dead Pilots On New Zealand's Remote Islands

Illustration of a pilot whale stranded in New Zealand in 2005. (Wikimedia Commons/Chagai)

JAKARTA - Hundreds of pilot whales died after stranded near shark-filled waters from a remote island chain in the South Pacific, according to rescue and conservationist teams.

New Zealand's Department of Conservation told CNN nearly 500 whales were stranded in the Chatham Islands, 840 kilometers (520 miles) east of the main South Island, in two separate mass stranded events reported by residents over the weekend.

Dave Lundquist, a marine technical adviser to the department, said his party was not seeking to lift back the whale stranded in the area due to the risk of shark attacks on humans and whales. The living whale is euthanasia to prevent further suffering, he said.

"This decision was never taken lightly, but in a case like this, it was the best option," Lundquist said.

Daren Grover, general manager of Projectction rescue organization, said most of the pilot whales had died when they arrived on the ground, and survivors were in poor health.

"Having so many whales in one location is unusual, but of course it has never been heard before," he explained.

In addition to the risks posed by the sharks, "it is almost impossible" for rescue teams to travel to the Chatham Islands in a short time, he explained, adding to the difficulties of saving whales.

It is known, the mass stranded incident occurred in less than a month, after about 200 pilot whales died on Tasmania beach in Australia.

It's normal for pilot whales to be stranded, but their behavior is not well understood, according to the Department of Conservation. Most scientists believe individual whales are stranded because they are sick and near the end of their natural life.

Adapun Kepulauan Chatham, yang merupakan rumah bagi sekitar 600 orang, termasuk di antar dari tiga "hotspot terdas" di Zealand Baru. Pada tahun banyak itu mengalami stranded massa terbesar yang tercatat di negara itu dengan sekitar 1.000 whale pilot, menurut department tersebut.