24 beached pilot whales die on New Zealand beach

January 22, 2011 – Wellington – Twenty-four pilot whales have died on a remote beach in the far north of New Zealand, the Department of Conservation was quoted as saying on Friday by press reports. Fourteen of the whales were already dead when the group was found scattered over 150 metres of rocks, mud and mangrove early Friday in Parengarenga Harbour, 15 kilometres south of North Cape. They appeared to have become stranded the previous day. The department said the others had to be put down because they were in poor condition and chances of successfully refloating them in deteriorating weather were remote. “If we felt there was a real chance we could have successfully rescued them, we would have,” the department’s area manager Jonathan Maxwell was quoted as saying by the New Zealand Press Association. “Sadly, the current conditions were against these animals,” Maxwell said. “The kindest thing was to end their suffering.” –Earth Times