MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — More than 100 pilot whales that stranded on Australia’s west coast Thursday have returned to the sea, while 29 died on shore, officials said.
Ships and an observation plane monitored the rescued whales in case they returned to land, said Pia Courtis, regional wildlife officer for the Western Australia state Parks and Wildlife Service.
“So far so good, they didn’t make it back to shore, but we will continue to monitor them,” Courtis told reporters.
Local whale researcher Ian Wiese joined hundreds of volunteers who helped save the whales at Toby’s Inlet, near the tourist town of Dunsborough.
“When I arrived, I think there were 160 people in the water – almost out of the water – and a couple hundred people were with the whales trying to comfort them and make sure their heads were clear of the water so they could could breathe. And then, after about an hour, all of a sudden those who were still alive left and went out to sea,” Wiese said.
“They could certainly decide to go back to another beach nearby or something – that happens a lot, but we hope they don’t,” Wiese added.
A team of wildlife officials, marine scientists and veterinarians had previously been on site and reported 26 deaths among up to 160 stranded people.
Wiese said he previously thought 31 whales had died, but the Ministry of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions later said the final death toll was 29.
In July, nearly 100 pilot whales died or were euthanized after a two-day rescue attempt in a mass stranding on Cheynes Beach near the former Albany whaling station, 355 kilometers (220 miles) southeast of Dunsborough.
Dunsborough is 285 kilometers south of Perth, the capital and largest city of the state of Western Australia.
Based on previous strandings, including the Cheynes Beach event in 2023, euthanizing the stranded whales is usually the most humane solution, the department said in a statement.
“We always hope for the best outcome,” the statement said.
Wiese said Thursday was the third mass stranding he has responded to and the outcome was by far the best.
“It was a very good story today because normally in strandings like this, 100 whales are stranded and five or six are rescued,” Wiese said.
Courtis said the whales probably became stranded early Thursday.
The dead whales were pulled out of the water so that their carcasses would not attract sharks.
Oceanographer Holly Raudino said tissue samples were taken from the dead whales to rule out possible causes of the stranding, particularly infectious diseases.
Dunsborough was the scene of a mass stranding of 320 pilot whales in 1996. Only 20 died, the rest were returned to the sea by rescuers.
Scientists don’t know why whales become stranded, although it appears their tracking systems can be confused by shallow sandy beaches.
Theories suggest they are avoiding predators like killer whales or following a sick leader on land. Man-made underwater noise could also affect their navigation.