WELLINGTON, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- Up to 145 whales have stranded and died on a remote New Zealand beach over the weekend, local authorities said on Monday.
According to the Department of Conservation (DOC), two pods of whales -- about two km apart -- were found strewn along the beach of Mason Bay on Stewart Island in New Zealand late on Saturday.
The massive stranding was discovered by a hiker camping in the remote area, the DOC said in a statement.
Half of the whales had already died by the time they were found, and the other half were put down to euthanize as it would have been too difficult to save them, the DOC said.
"Sadly, the likelihood of being able to successfully refloat the remaining whales was extremely low. The remote location, lack of nearby personnel and the whales' deteriorating condition meant the most humane thing to do was to euthanize," said Ren Leppens, the DOC's operations manager on Stewart Island.
"However, it's always a heart-breaking decision to make," Leppens said.
The massive stranding on Stewart Island was one of the four strandings discovered on New Zealand shores over the weekend, although these incidents are unlikely to be related, the DOC said.
A 15-meter male sperm whale died on a North Island beach on Saturday, while a female pygmy sperm whale washed up dead on the west coast of the North Island. A total of 10 pygmy whales were found stranded on another North Island beach on Sunday, and two have since died.
According to the DOC, marine mammal strandings are a relatively common occurrence on New Zealand shores, and there are about 85 incidents per year, mostly of single animals.
The reason for whale stranding is not fully known but factors can include sickness, navigational error, geographical features, a rapidly falling tide, being chased by a predator, or extreme weather, the DOC said.
