False killer whales stranded in Australia are expected to be euthanized after unsuccessful rescue mission

More than 150 false killer whales have washed up on the coast of the Australian island state of Tasmania, with none of them expected to survive, officials said Wednesday.

The 157 whales were found Tuesday afternoon on a remote beach near Arthur River on Tasmania’s northwest coast. By Wednesday afternoon, only 90 appeared to still be alive, The Associated Press reported, citing the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania.

Officials said rescue efforts had been hindered by poor conditions and that similar weather was expected for at least the next two days.

“We have been out in the water this morning and have relocated and attempted to refloat two whales, but didn’t have success as the ocean conditions weren’t allowing the animals to get past the break,” incident controller Shelley Graham said in a department statement. “The animals are continuously restranding.”

The remaining live whales are expected to be euthanized.

“The longer these animals are out stranded, the longer they are suffering,” marine biologist and deputy incident controller Kris Carlyon said in the statement. “All alternative options have been unsuccessful, euthanizer is always a last resort.”

The animals resemble killer whales but are actually large members of the dolphin family. False killer whales can weigh up to 3,000 pounds and generally live in deep offshore waters in tropical and subtropical oceans, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The reason for the beaching Tuesday is unclear. They were the first false killer whales since 1974 to become stranded in Tasmania, where beachings typically involve pilot whales.

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In 2022, about 200 of 230 pilot whales died after becoming stranded further down Tasmania's west coast in Macquarie Harbor.

Macquarie Harbor was also the site of the worst mass stranding in Australian history in 2020, when fewer than 100 pilot whales survived out of 470 that became stuck on sandbars.

Beachings can occur for a variety of reasons including navigation errors, sickness, old age, injury, bad weather and hunting too close to shore.