Around ninety Long-finned Pilot Whales, Globicephala melas, are thought to have died in a mass stranding on the west coast of Tasmania. A large group of about 270 individuals became trapped on two sandbars off the coast of Macquarie Heads on Monday 21 September 2020, and despite rescue attempts about third are now thought to have died. A team of 40 rescuers from the Tasmanian Marine Conservation Program have been attempting to refloat the Marine Mammals, though as of 5.00 pm local time on Tuesdat 22 September only about 25 Animals had been freed. It is, however, hoped that more of the Whales can be released over the next few days, with cold and wet conditions prevailing in the area, these being favourable for the Whales survival while stranded. Members of the public are being asked to keep away from the area in order to minimise the stress to the Whales.
Long-finned Pilot Whales, a type of large Dolphin, are one of the most abundant Cetecean species, and are considdered to be of Least Concern under the terms of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species. They are highly social, typically living in small family groups of 8-12 individuals, but frequently come together to form much larger groups of several hundred Animals, and can often be observed socialising with members of other Dolphin species. They are also particularly prone to mass strandings, the reasons for which are not fully understood, but the large gatherings the species forms apparently makes them more vulnerable to such events, since more Animals will be involved in any such stranding than is likely to be the case with other Whale species.
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