Hundreds of whales stranded in southern Australia

This photograph taken on September 21, 2020 shows a pod of whales stranded on a sandbar in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania. – Up to 90 whales have died and a “challenging” operation is underway to rescue 180 more still stranded in a remote bay in southern Australia on September 22. Scientists said two large pods of long-finned pilot whales became stuck on sandbars in Macquarie Harbour, on Tasmania’s sparsely populated west coast. (Photo by POOL / AFP)

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — At least twenty-five whales have died and scientists are trying to rescue 250 more that are stranded in a remote bay on the Australian island of Tasmania, officials said Monday.

Tasmania’s environment department said the whales had become stuck on a sandbar in Macquarie Harbour, on the island’s rugged and sparsely populated west coast.

Nic Deka, who is managing the incident response, said two large pods were stranded on sandbars a few hundred metres apart inside the harbour.

A handout photo taken on September 21, 2020 and received on September 22 courtesy of Ryan Bloomfield shows a pod of whales stranded on a sandbar in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania. (Photo by Handout / RYAN BLOOMFIELD / AFP)

“They are in water but it’s very difficult to see how many of those whales are deceased or what condition they’re in,” he told reporters in the nearby town of Strahan.

They are believed to be pilot whales but the environment department is yet to confirm the species.

A handout photograph taken and released on September 22, 2020 by the Tasmania Police shows a pod of whales stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania. (Photo by Handout / TASMANIA POLICE / AFP)

Police are on site and marine experts are assessing the situation ahead of plans to launch a rescue mission early Tuesday morning.

“In terms of the tides, when we start making an effort tomorrow it will be with an outgoing tide, so that’ll be in our favour, but obviously tides go up and come down so we’ll be aiming to make the most of the windows that we have,” Deka said.

Mass whale strandings occur relatively often in Tasmania, but the large numbers involved present a daunting rescue prospect.

A handout photograph taken and released on September 22, 2020 by the Tasmania Police shows rescuers attempting to free a pod of whales stranded on a sandbar in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania.(Photo by Handout / TASMANIA POLICE / AFP)

Authorities may call on a network of local volunteers to assist but have cordoned off the area to the general public.

The latest stranding comes as a humpback whale that was stuck in a tropical river in Australia’s north finally returned to the ocean after more than two weeks.

Public broadcaster ABC reported the creature, which spent 17 days in the crocodile-infested waters of Kakadu National Park, has been spotted in open seas off Darwin.

Scientists had been weighing options for guiding the humpback to safety after it became the first known whale to travel up the muddy river, but were relieved when it returned to sea on its own.

© Agence France-Presse