Over 250 pilot whales have died after a mass stranding at South Island in New Zealand, state-run media reported on Tuesday.
The stranded whales have died on the Chatham Islands, Radio New Zealand quoted the whale rescue organization Project Jonah's General Manager Darren Grover as saying.
Over 250 stranded pilot whales die in New Zealandhttps://t.co/JpoH1LqGFU pic.twitter.com/VUKlCZgazz
— Kazinform (@kazinform_eng) October 11, 2022
A day earlier, Project Jonah New Zealand said that there has been a second mass stranding of pilot whales on the Chatham Islands, this time on Rangiauria/Pitt Island, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of the stranding over the weekend.
250 pilot whales die in remote New Zealand stranding https://t.co/XBA1BH1ZN4 pic.twitter.com/EIWeOt7B8R
— Dennis Young (@ProfitableNote) October 10, 2022
“Again, this is an incredibly isolated and remote part of the world, with a small population and known for great white sharks which pose risk to both people and whales,” said Project Jonah in a Facebook post.
Several such incidents occurred earlier on the Chatham Islands, including the death of over 215 whales just days ago.