Tragic beaching in Western Australia: 51 Pilot Whales die, 4

In Australia, there have been a number of prominent mass strandings involving pilot whales. On Tasmania's west coast, 230 pilot whales became stranded in 2022; at Hamelin Bay, Western Australia, 150 pilot whales became stranded in 2018. Off the coast of Western Australia, officials and volunteers are engaged in a dramatic rescue mission to save 46 stranded pilot whales. Despite the efforts of rescue personnel, news from the previous night indicated 51 whales had already perished. The upsetting episode started late on Monday when whales began to congregate in the water close to Cheynes Beach, around 60 kilometres east of Albany.

Tuesday afternoon saw a serious deterioration in the situation as whales began to deposit themselves along the coast, raising concerns about a mass stranding incident. The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) representatives and committed volunteers carefully watched the whales throughout the night, enduring adverse weather conditions with the goal of preserving as many marine creatures as possible. Although DBCA South Coast regional manager Peter Hartley was overwhelmed by the people's willingness to assist, he emphasised that they presently have enough professionals on the scene and urged the public to remain away from the beach, which has been blocked to aid with the rescue attempts.

The focus of the rescue effort has moved to getting the remaining whales back into the sea and encouraging them to swim into deeper areas where they have the best chance of surviving because there are still 46 whales alive. Although the rescue workers are aware of the urgency of the situation, they are nevertheless hopeful about the result once the whales arrive at the shore. Marine experts are still working to completely understand the reasons for whale strandings since they are such complicated phenomena. One theory is that when one ill whale becomes stranded, closely-knit social dynamics within whale pods might result in mass stranding. It has also been proposed that navigational difficulties and following one another, particularly when there are predators like orcas, may be important factors.