Whale stranded on Northland beach for two nights will be euthanised

August 7, 2018

It’s hoped a channel being dug at Baylys Beach near Dargaville will guide the female out to sea.

The humpback whale stranded on a Northland beach since Sunday morning was still alive this morning, but the Department of Conservation has made the decision to euthanise it.

"This whale has now been on the beach for 48 hours and is tired and stressed," Project Jonah posted on Facebook this morning after checking the whale's status at first light. 

The Department of Conservation said in a statement the decision to euthanise the whale was made in consultation with local iwi Te Rorora and Te Uri o Hau, Project Jonah and other whale stranding experts.

DOC Operations Manager Stephen Stoole said the whale’s condition was deteriorating, she is in distress and unlikely to survive.  

The whale and its calf were discovered about 100m offshore at Ripiro Beach, near Baylys Beach, at about 7am Sunday. The smaller whale died yesterday morning, and an attempt to re-float the surviving whale at high tide yesterday afternoon failed.

"This is a sad outcome and a decision not taken lightly," Mr Stoole said.

About 100 volunteers gathered at the beach yesterday, using buckets to keep the surviving whale wet and using a digger to create a trench system intended to lead the animal to deeper water when high tide arrived.

ONN 1 News at 6 promo image

"The strategy of digging a wide deep channel wasn't successful and while the use of a wide-set sling to manoeuvre the whale to face the sea was briefly tried, this was abandoned," Project Jonah wrote on Facebook.

SHARE ME

More Stories