By Talia Blewitt
Around 60-70 volunteers have gathered in their wetsuits around the 33 remaining stranded whales in Nelson’s Farewell Spit.
The pod of whales – which includes a baby – is now a kilometre offshore with the tide receding. Some of the whales are swimming, others are not.
Department of Conservation spokesman Nigel Mountfort says people from “all walks of life” have been bussed to the beach to do their bit.
“We’ve got some of the best marine medics in the country down here,” he said.
“We’ve got some people from the United Nations and others who have interrupted their holiday to help out.”
Many of the rescuers are made up of Project Jonah volunteers who have gone through two-day courses to prepare for an event such as this.
Sheets and buckets were taken up onto the beach so the rescuers could begin the process of rocking the whales to refloat them.
While the pod is floating, it does not mean they have been successfully refloated. The process will take hours and low tide this evening will be telling of how well today has gone.
The whales are stressed and show their tension by arching their backs and holding their breath for long periods. But Mr Mountfort says there is every chance of refloating them, should they choose to.
Rescuers need to keep the whales in a tight group because they work as a close-knit community and need to be in agreement with one another to make a move.
Mr Mountfort says it is hopeless if one is refloated without the rest.
Two nights ago, 26 whales managed to refloat themselves and have not been seen since. It is thought the more successful in the pod can call to those stranded on the beach.
However, this also poses a risk of calling those at sea back into shallow waters.
Whales are a matriarchal society, says Mr Mountfort, and those who did not make it in the first stranding could have contained the leaders. It is then up to the remaining pod to choose another leader – which can be a detriment if the weaker whales in the pod take leadership.
“Re-stranding depends on the new leadership structure,” says Mr Mountfort. “There has to be a consensus, which could decide to stay with the weakest.”
A decision was made this morning to euthanize two whales for this reason, but Mr Mountfort says they were unlikely to survive and posed a threat to the rest of the pod. The two whales were killed with a shotgun, which Mr Mountford says is quick and relatively painless.
Boats prepared for refloating are positioned adjacent to the whales and rescuers are hoping to keep the pod in a group.
Mr Mountfort says weather conditions are in their favour; the water is calm and flat and it was not too sunny while the tide was out, so the whales did not get overly heated.
3 News