A Kiwi woman has described seeing more than 150 whales stranded at Hamelin Bay in Western Australia as a ‘horrible sight.’
Most of the short-finned pilot whales have washed ashore and are dead but conservation staff are at the scene trying to re-float those that are alive.
Leaarne Hollowood said when she got to the bay this morning, she thought they were all dead until closer inspection.
‘Felt so helpless as we were still waiting for the experts to arrive and assess what they were going to do.
‘We ended up leaving before they arrived as Parks and Wildlife told us they would most likely be euthanized,’ she told 1 News in a message.
She’s returning to the scene to see if she can help with the rescue attempt.
‘The same thing happened nine years ago on the exact same date at the same beach.. pretty spooky,’ she said.
Ms Hollowood’s been living in the nearby town of Margaret River for several years but is from Whakatane.
Beaches in the area are closed and people are being warned the dead and dying whales could attract sharks close to shore.
The government’s conservation department reports the largest mass stranding of whales in the state was in 1996 when 320 long-finned pilot whales stranded themselves in Dunsborough.
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