More than 400 pilot whales stranded on Farewell Spit in Golden Bay yesterday. They were found on the sand late last night. Only 80 are still alive. This is the third biggest whale stranding that has been recorded in New Zealand and one the biggest in the world.
Around 500 volunteers and Conservation staff managed to float about 100 whales out to sea at high tide this morning but most came back again onto the sand.
Volunteers are working hard to keep the whales wet with buckets of water and wet sheets. They are also digging trenches around the whales to give them a pool of water to lie in. It is hard work. The weather is cold and windy and the sea temperature is cool. They are waiting for the next high tide to push the whales out to sea again.
Here is a photo of Farewell Spit taken from space: NASA. You can see from this photo how whales can easily get trapped.
Listen to February 14 2015 for more about whale strandings in New Zealand.
Vocabulary
• stranded (v) – stuck, can’t move, can’t get back into the water
• Conservation – caring for the environment, staff from the Department of Conservation (DOC)
• trenches (n) – big holes