Hundreds of Pilot Whales Rescued From Mass Beach Stranding in Western Australia

Hundreds of Pilot Whales have been rescued from a beach stranding in Western Australia on Thursday morning.

Rescue teams reportedly rushed to the beach located in the coastal town of Dunsborough, south of Perth, to rescue the stranded Whales. Wildlife preservation teams and local authorities, joined by many volunteers helped get the animals safely back to sea.

According to Parks and Wildlife Service Western Australia, 29 of the Pilot Whales died. “There are 20 whales in a pod about 1.5km offshore. Another pod of about 110 animals are together closer offshore”, said a spokesperson.

Researcher Ian Wiese who joined hundreds of volunteers to rescue the Whales at Toby’s inlet near the tourist town of Dunsborough told Australian Broadcasting Corp “there were well over 200 along the beach here and just nearby and there’s 31, I think, deceased but the rest got away, which is an amazing story.”

He added “when I first arrived, there was, I think, 160 in the water -almost out of the water- and there were a couple of hundred of people who were with the whales, they were trying to comfort them and make sure that their heads were out of the water so they could breathe. And then after an hour or so, all of a sudden the ones that were in the water that were still alive left and went out to sea.”

Mass stranding of whales are not uncommon. In July 2023, a mass stranding occurred at Cheynes Beach in Albany, where at least 90 of the mammals died or were euthanized after a two-day rescue attempt.

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