More than 50 pilot whales have died after stranding themselves on the southern coastline of Western Australia.
On Tuesday morning, authorities were informed that a large pod of the whales had grouped about 150m off Cheynes Beach, east of Albany.
On Tuesday night, the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions confirmed that it had orchestrated a response after the whales started to strand on the beach.
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Despite the help of a large amount of registered volunteers, at least 51 of the whales were confirmed to have died on Wednesday morning, with the DBCA holding out hope of rescuing a further 46.
“Parks and Wildlife Service personnel are working in partnership with registered volunteers and other organisations to try to return the remaining 46 whales to deeper water during the course of the day,” the DBCA said in a statement.
They warned of the “range of hazards” in the response zone, including sharks.
“The priority focus of the incident management team is to ensure the safety of staff and volunteers and the welfare of the whales. The response zone has a range of hazards, including large, distressed and potentially sick whales, sharks, waves, heavy machinery and vessels.”
More to come