Sydney - Ten survivors from a pod of 80 whales that beached
themselves near Margaret River on Australia's west coast were
successfully pushed back out to sea Tuesday.
Wildlife officers were forced to shoot one stricken whale after it
was refloated, for fear that its cries of distress would bring the
rest of the survivors back to the shore.
'The whale had suffered significant trauma as a result of the
stranding and was in a very poor condition,' Department of
Environment and Conservation spokesman Greg Mair said in a statement.
'In addition to the importance of ensuring the most humane outcome
for the individual animal, one of the most important considerations
was reducing the likelihood of negatively affecting the rest of the
pod,' he added.
The long-finned pilot whales were loaded onto trucks at Hamelin
Bay where they came ashore Monday.
Individual whales measuring up to 6 metres long and weighing up to
3.5 tons were hoisted in a sling onto a truck for the trip from
Hamelin to Flinders.
They were penned until the pod was back together and then released
together.
Flinders Bay, 20 kilometres away, was picked because it is
deep, sheltered and far enough from the original stranding site to
deter the whales from coming back on shore.
Margaret River schoolchildren were among the 200 volunteers
keeping the whales wet so they didn't dehydrate and die. Some stayed
up all night to help in the rescue effort.
The volunteers were asked to make as much noise as they possibly
could when the whales were herded out of Flinders Bay to make sure
the mammals didn't loiter or return to the beach.
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