After bad weather and being in an isolated location hampered efforts to push the whales back into the water, Australian authorities said on Thursday, the 20th of February, that about 90 of the 157 false killer whales that washed ashore on Wednesday and survived, but were stranded on a remote beach on the northwest coast of Tasmania Island, Australia, would be euthanised, while the rest died soon after stranding, according to Reuters and the British broadcaster BBC.
Tasmania has seen several mass strandings of whales in recent years, including in 2020 when around 470 pilot whales stranded, but dolphins, commonly known as false killer whales, have not been mass stranded for more than 50 years.
“The conditions the team faced yesterday in trying to re-introduce the whales to the water proved to be very difficult and actually dangerous for our staff,” Brendon Clark, Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service Manager, said at a media briefing.
A total of 27 animals were euthanised on Thursday morning, but 38 were still alive, Clark said. The euthanasia process is expected to be completed later Thursday.
On Wednesday, authorities said the animals had been trapped at the site for 24 to 48 hours and the surviving animals were already highly distressed.
Officials said that the response would be complicated by the inaccessibility of the site, the ocean conditions and the difficulty of transporting specialised equipment to the remote area.
“The longer these animals are ashore, the longer they suffer. All alternative options have failed, euthanasia is always a last resort,” said marine biologist Kris Carlyon.
More than 150 whales washed up on a remote beach in Australia. pic.twitter.com/g45mVSkix1
— Aaditya Anand (@AadityaAnand_11) February 20, 2025
False killer whales are one of the largest dolphin species in the world, like their namesake orcas. They can grow up to 6.1m long and weigh up to 1 361kg. According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, they are found in all tropical and subtropical oceans, usually in deep coastal waters.
Whales are highly social mammals and are well known to wash ashore in groups, as they travel in large, tightly-knit communities that rely on constant communication.
There are several theories as to why beach strandings occur. Some experts say that the animals tend to become confused after following the fish they hunt ashore. Others believe that a single individual can mistakenly bring entire groups ashore.