At least 380 whales dead in Australia mass stranding

MACQUARIE HARBOUR, Australia: At least 380 whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia, officials said on Wednesday, as hopes faded of saving more than a few dozen of those creatures still trapped.

Nearly the entire pod of 460 long-finned pilot whales stuck in Macquarie Harbour — on the rugged and sparsely populated west coast of Tasmania — has now perished. “We can confirm that 380 whales are dead,” Tasmania’s Parks and Wildlife Service manager Nic Deka said, describing the three-day rescue effort as emotionally and physically taxing.

“There’s around 30 left still alive, but the good news is that we have saved 50,” he said. It is believed to be the largest mass stranding ever recorded in Australia, and is among the largest anywhere in the world.

The first of the giant mammals were discovered floundering on Monday, sparking a major effort to free them from sandbars and beaches only accessible by boat. A rescue crew of 60 conservationists, skilled volunteers and local fish farm workers have spent days wading in icy water trying to release the whales -- which can grow up to six metres (20 feet) long and weigh a tonne each.