Pod of 54 whales die on Australian coastline
Date: 30-Jul-02
Country: AUSTRALIA
Western Australian Conservations and Land Management (CALM) workers said they feared the carcasses - weighing up to five tonnes each - would be devoured by sharks before a mass grave could be dug along Tooregullup Beach, on the Indian Ocean southeast of Perth.
Local fisherman came across the whales, known as False Killers, late on Friday, Peter Lambert, a wildlife specialist for CALM told Reuters.
"Most of the whales were already dead, but we had to shoot seven, they were just too far gone to survive," Lambert said. "It was very sad."
The all black False Killer Whale is similar to the better known grey and white Killer Whale. Rescue attempts had been hampered because the waters were notorious breeding grounds for sharks, Lambert said.
"These waters are heavily patrolled by Great Whites and Bronze Whalers," he said.
Wildlife officers and a veterinarian tried unsuccessfully to stabilise some of the whales, Lambert said.
Soft sand and a rising tide were preventing bulldozers moving the carcasses quickly, he said.
False Killer Whales are found worldwide in tropical and temperate waters. They favour deep water but occasionally come close to the beach.