Mass Stranding of 160 Pilot Whales at Western Australia’s Toby Inlet: Rescue Efforts Underway as Over a Quarter Die

Roughly 160 pilot whales became stranded at Toby Inlet in Western Australia last week, leaving around a quarter of them dead. The Parks and Wildlife Service of Western Australia reported four pods with up to 160 whales that had become beached across an area measuring approximately one kilometre. As of Thursday afternoon local time (April 25), 28 of the marine mammals had passed away. More than 100 further individuals remained in poor health and a separate pod numbering around 20 swam nearby, whilst yet another larger group – with some estimating roughly 110 whales – was located closer to shoreline.
Crews worked tirelessly to keep the animals from reaching land as officials expressed hope that the remaining stranded whales would begin moving away from the coast. A spotter plane scanned the area for any signs of a pod consisting around fifty creatures reportedly heading back towards Toby Inlet on Thursday, yet none had been seen since mid-afternoon local time (UTC+08:00).
Prior to removing the deceased whales from the beach, scientists intend to collect tissue samples and measurements in order to gather data that may assist researchers with their understanding of these pods. Regional Wildlife Officer Pia Courtis commented optimistically regarding the fate of the remaining carcasses on Thursday afternoon local time (UTC+08:00), stating her belief that all would be removed from Toby Inlet by evening’s end, and boats and spotter planes will return to monitor for any whales returning in the following days.