Death Trap: Over two dozen whales dead in New Zealand mass stranding
Over two dozens of whales died in New Zealand
More than two dozenwhalesdied in a mass stranding at aNewZealandbeachrenowned as adeath trapfor the ocean giants, wildlife rangers said Friday.
The Department of Conservation said 29 long-finned pilotwhaleswere already dead when the pod of 34 marine mammals was found at remote Farewell Spit on the South Island late Thursday.
Department spokesman Dave Winterburn said rangers were providing care for five survivors but noted "thewhaleshave now been out of the water for some time".
"While this event is unfortunate, whale strandings are a natural phenomenon," he said.
"The cause of this stranding is not known."
Farewell Spit, a 26-kilometre (16 mile) hook of sand that protrudes into the sea, has been the scene of more than 10 pilot whale strandings in the past 15 years.
The largest was in February 2017, when almost 700 of the mammals beached, resulting in 250 deaths.
Scientists are unclear about why thebeachis so deadly. One theory is that the spit creates a shallow seabed in the bay that interferes with thewhales' sonar navigation systems.
Pilotwhales, the most common species of whale inNewZealandwaters, are particularly susceptible to mass strandings.
Thewhales, which grow up to six metres (20 feet) long, are regularly found beached in large numbers.