Volunteers worked frantically for a second day on Wednesday to try to save dozens of pilot whales that have stranded themselves on a beach in Western Australia, but more than 50 have already died.
Nearly 100 long-finned pilot whales were first spotted swimming near the city of Albany in Western Australia on Tuesday morning.
As the day progressed, the pod began moving closer to Cheynes Beach, sparking concern among conservation officers.
By 4pm, a large stretch of the shoreline was covered in beached whales.
Western Australia’s environment minister, Reece Whitby, said it is particularly frustrating because it is not known why the phenomenon occurs.
“What we’re seeing is utterly heart-breaking and distressing,” he told reporters. “It’s just a terrible, terrible tragedy to see these dead pilot whales on the beach.”
Fifty-two whales had died, but volunteers are doing what they can to try to save 45 still alive, he said.
Drone footage released by the department showed the whales clustering and forming into a heart shape before stranding themselves on the beach.
“This is just an amazing event,” Joanne Marsh, owner the Cheynes Beach Caravan Park told the ABC. “We’ve never seen anything quite like this.”
Wildlife experts said the unusual behaviour of the whales could be an indicator of stress or illness within the pod. Pilot whales are highly social animals and often maintain close relationships with their pods throughout their lives.
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