230 pilot whales stranded along Australia beach, half of them probably dead

Sydney, Sep 21: Hundreds of pilot whales were found stranded on the rugged west coast of Tasmania on Wednesday, out of which almost half of them were feared dead. The scene at the beach, which shows hundreds of these mammals lying motionless, is a crude reminder of a similar stranding incident that happened two years ago.

Marine conservationists have sprung into action and the rescue mission has begun. The experts believe that half of these creatures are probably still alive and can be saved. The cause of such mass stranding is still unknown, but scientists have suggested they could be caused by pods going off track after feeding too close to the shore.

"A pod of approximately 230 whales has stranded near Macquarie Harbour," said the state's Department of Natural Resources and Environment. "It appears about half of the animals are alive."

Images show a devastating scene of dozens of black glossy mammals strewn along a stretch of beach where the frigid southern ocean meets the sand.

The pilot whale stranding incident comes a day after 14 dead sperm whales washed ashore at King Island on Monday. In a similar incident reported two years ago, the area was the scene of another mass stranding involving almost 500 pilot whales, of which just over 100 mammals survived.

Pilot whales are highly sociable and can follow podmates who stray into danger.