At Least 55 Whales Die In NZ Mass Stranding, Officials Say (New Incident)

[hatrack]

WELLINGTON, New Zealand − Rescuers were working feverishly Tuesday to float two whales stranded for two days on a North Island beach, where 55 pilot whales carcasses litter the sand, conservation officials said.

The mass stranding of 75 pilot whales was only discovered Monday and rescuers found only 21 still alive when they reached the isolated scene, Conservation Department area manager John Gaukrodger said.

Rescuers believe the whales may have been chasing food when they stranded on Opoutere Beach, on North Island's east coast overnight Sunday. By midmorning Tuesday 18 of the mammals had been refloated by rescuers who used a large digger to channel water to the animals, keeping them wet while waiting for a high tide later Monday.

Three coaxed back out to sea during Monday night were too weak to handle the conditions and were turned back into shore by rescuers for another attempt Tuesday. One was refloated during the morning."

EDIT

http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=492

[elehhhhna]

1. Awe, awe, what have we done? - whalerider

[GoddessOfGuinness]

2. No words....

:cry:

[dArKeR]

3. Don't we all know that this is from military underwater RF?

I saw a few documentaries with most scientists agreeing that the sea animals are having their ear/balance systems fried by the RF.

Is this what we call the 'moral christian republican military'?

[Nihil]

5. Not RF - sonar

"As modern subs have become increasingly quiet, active systems that
emit sounds millions of times more powerful are deemed necessary."

Exceptionally high-powered sonar systems are under trial by the (British)
Royal Navy. The US Navy have similar systems under trial; though these
have been reported as being less powerful, the details (frequency, range)
are obviously classified.

[Yavin4]

4. I Guess The Whales Found Out About The Results of the U.S.

elections.