SYDNEY - Dozens of false killer whales stranded on a remote beach in the Australian state of Tasmania will be euthanised after bad weather and the isolated location hampered efforts to push them back into the waters, Australian authorities said on Thursday.
More than 150 of the endangered dolphins — commonly known as false killer whales due to their resemblance to killer whales — were found stranded this week in the island state’s northwest coast near Arthur River, about 400 kilometres from Tasmania’s state capital, Hobart.
“The conditions that the team faced yesterday in attempts to refloat the whales proved very challenging and in fact, dangerous to our staff,” Brendon Clark of Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service said in a media briefing.
A total of 27 animals were euthanised on Thursday morning while 38 were still alive, Clark said.
The euthanasia process was expected to finish later on Thursday.
Officials have said the stranding response would be complex due to the inaccessibility of the site, ocean conditions and the challenges of getting specialist equipment to the remote area.
False killer whales can grow up to 6.1 metres long and weigh up to 1,360kg. They are found in all tropical and subtropical oceans, generally in deep offshore waters, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.