107 pilot whales die after mass stranding on remote New Zealand beach



All members of a pod of 107 pilot whales that stranded on a remote New Zealand beach have died, including 48 that were euthanised.



The stranded whales were discovered by hikers on Sunday near Cavalier Creek on Stewart Island, off the southern tip of New Zealand's South Island.



Conservation department staff flew to the area and found that about half of the group were already dead and the others were dying, the the government's conservation agency said in a statement.



Grisly: 107 pilot whales were found stranded on a remote beach in Cavalier Creek on Stewart Island, off the southern tip of New Zealand's South Island

WHY STRANDED WHALES ARE PUT DOWN

Animal welfare groups, including the RSPCA, believe stranded whales should be humanely put down rather than rescued.

They say there is evidence that the creatures have ‘little or no chance’ of survival once they are trapped on the shore or in shallow waters.

The new policy was announced in 2009 as more than 70 long-finned pilot whales died after beaching themselves on a remote south-west Australian beach.

The RSPCA acknowledged its policy change was controversial but said it had to put the welfare of whales first.

The new approach covers all the major deep sea whales.

Dolphins and porpoises are less vulnerable and will still be rescued.

Whales will be killed by a lethal injection once a vet and marine mammal experts have checked the scene.

The whales were well up the beach and the tide was receding, leaving little chance of keeping them alive until more rescuers could arrive.



'Euthanasia is a difficult decision, but is made purely for the welfare of the animal involved to prevent it from prolonged suffering,' said Brent Beaven, the official who led the team at the site.



Pilot whales are about 13 feet to 20 feet (4 meters to 6 meters) long and are the most common species of whale in New Zealand waters.



Whale strandings are common in New Zealand.



Last month, 24 pilot whales died after stranding on the North Island.

In December 2009, more than 120 whales died in two separate beachings near Golden Bay and on the east coast of North Island.

Many unexplained deaths of marine mammals could be caused by soundwaves from underwater military sonar equipment, zoologists believe.



They think the signals may cause bubbles in the animals' tissue, in the same way as divers can suffer decompression sickness known as 'the bends'



Experts have long feared whales and dolphins are being deafened by the noise from shipping and drilling, although it is not known if there were any naval operations in the area at the time of this weekend's stranding.