Thirty-nine pilot whales died after getting beached early Monday morning on Golden Bay, in New Zealand's South Island, according to New Zealand's Department of Conservation.
According to AFP, a group of guards from the New Zealand's Department of Conservation followed the group of pilot whales from the shore of the Golden Bay on Sunday; however, conservation teams were unable to prevent the whales from getting beached three miles from the Farewell Spit base.
According to the Department of Conservation, 12 pilot whales died due to natural causes and the rest of the mammals had to be sacrificed by the guard, because they were too far inland, which meant it would impossible to return them to water in time.
"We carefully evaluated the possibility of getting them back in the water safely. But our personnel, who has a lot of experience with these types of incidents in Golden Bay, decided that it was improbable to rescue them," said John Mason, chief of conservation services of Golden Bay.
"Taking into account where they were on the beach and today's weather, I simply think saving them was not a viable option," said Mason, acording to The Telegraph.
Hans Stoffregen, Ranger of the Department of Conservation, said that "It's a very sad moment for all of us. But I think that for animals, it's better to put them out of their misery."
Pilot whales are some of the whales with the biggest risk of getting beached, with high annual death rates. According to CNN, in 1998 over 300 pilot whales died after getting stuck on Doughboy Bay on Stewart Island, south of South Island.
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