I heard on the news the other day, that 22 Pilot Whales had been left high and dry on the beach Nr Fife, Scotland. There were 10 same species that were able to be guided back safely into the Sea.
I did read, some time ago that possibly underwater Sonar may be a possible cause.
Any thoughts on this?.
Whale strandings are sadly a fairly common occurrance here in New Zealand, with usually serveral large strandings per year. The theories as to why happens vary, from malfunction in their sonar ability, to perhaps chasing food. No-one has really worked it out for certain as far as I am aware. But these days when it happens there is instantly a huge network of people, locals at the beach where it occurs and volunteers from all around, who turn out to help, under the guidance of the highly experienced Department of Conservation team. People keep vigil night and day keeping them moist and calm till the tide is right to refloat them and guide them back out. Often with a big pod it can take days to get as many as possible back into the water, and usually a proportion of them die sadly. When this happens they are given a special blessing ceremony by the Maori komatua, as they are considered sacred, and then DoC or the local council buries them. They never get used for cat food or anything like that, they are considered of too high an order I guess.
We get all sorts of whales around here, from pilot whales to humpbacks to orca and I think even blue whales come through our waters. The one the Japanese fleets hunt here is Minky whale, I assume it’s the prefered taste. I acknowledge that they have every right under international law, and I think the likes of Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace who chase, harrass and sometimes even board the Japanese vessels are no better than pirates who love the limelight, I think it’s a shame that the law is still in place, with that guise of scientific research. They are doing it purely for commercial reasons, but considering there is apparently a large stockpile of unbought, uneaten whale product on the japanese market why they keep coming back for more is beyond comprehension as the Minky is under serious threat.
Whales are wonderful. There are lots of places you can see them regularly in NZ, Kaikoura coast being the most famous. A couple of months ago my sister and her husband went to Tonga and they actually swam with massive humpbacks. Their underwater video camera capturing these huge leviathons just metres away. What an experience they had.
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