650 whales stranded in New Zealand after another mass beaching

Another pod of 240 whales were stranded on a beach in New Zealand, bringing the total to 650. Department of Conservation Golden Bay Operations Manager Andrew Lamason said the total did not contain any of the about 100 whales that were refloated by volunteers.Photo courtesy of Deb Price/New Zealand Department of Conservation

Feb. 11 (UPI) — A total of 650 whales have been stranded on a beach in New Zealand after the area experienced another mass beaching.

A human chain made up of volunteers failed to prevent the pod of 240 whales from making its way on shore, hours after they refloated about 100 whales that were stranded on Farewell Spit.

More than 500 volunteers arrived to the remote beach after 416 whales were beached on Thursday, in what the New Zealand Department of Conservation said was the third-largest whale stranding in the nation’s history.

A total of 335 of the whales died after being stranded and 220 remain stuck on land.

Volunteers hope to safely move the newly stranded whales back into the ocean during the next high tide in daylight on Sunday.

Department of Conservation Golden Bay Operations Manager Andrew Lamason said the 240 whales that arrived onshore on Saturday were from a new pod because all of the refloated whales were tagged before being sent back to sea.

He also said about 20 of the new whales were humanely euthanized due to their poor condition.

Officials have begun speculating how to best remove the whale carcasses from the beach. Lamason said towing them out to sea could cause them to become gaseous and buoyant and float into populated areas.

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