CNN —
Rescue teams have managed to rescue 32 pilot whales after a mass stranding that killed around 200 whales took place in a remote part of Australia this week.
The stranded pod had been spotted by Tasmanian wildlife authorities on Monday – at the time it was believed half the group was still alive.
But as the week progressed and conditions worsened, the number of survivors began to dwindle.
“Of the 35 whales that were alive this morning, we managed to refloat, rescue and release 32 of those animals and that’s a great result,” said Brendon Clark of the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service a press conference on Friday morning.
Rangers were forced to euthanize a whale that stranded again Thursday night, and three other whales remained “out of range due to the tides,” Clark said.
“The priority is still the rescue and release of these remaining animals and anyone else who becomes stranded again,” he added.
Rescue teams would then proceed to dispose of the carcasses at sea.
“We’re going to try to get her as far offshore as possible,” Clark said. Previous warnings were issued to swimmers to avoid the area in the event of a shark aggregation.
Whale stranding incidents have baffled marine scientists for decades.
This is the second mass stranding in Tasmania this week after more than a dozen sperm whales, mostly young males, believed to be part of the same bachelor group were found dead on a different beach.
The largest stranding happened in 2020 when more than 450 pilot whales were found.
“What caused the stranding of whales is unknown and may not be able to be determined,” the Department of Natural Resources and Environment said on Thursday.
Her experts are currently conducting “post-mortem investigations” into the recent stranding.