500 Pilot Whales Die In New Zealand, Shark Attack Risk Rules Out Rescue

About 500 pilot whales have died in mass strandings on New Zealand's remote Chatham Islands, the government said Tuesday after ruling out a rescue effort in the area's shark-filled waters.

About 500 pilot whales have died in mass stranding on New Zealand's remote Chatham Islands, the government said Tuesday, after ruling out rescue efforts in shark-infested waters in the area.

Two "super pods" of dolphin-related whales ashore on two islands in the remote chain and the survivors were mercilessly killed,

According to the preservation section.

On Friday, 250 pilot whales were found ashore on Chatham Island, the government said, and three days later, another 240 whales were reported on Pete Island.

Authorities said the locations - far from mainland New Zealand - made the rescue impossible.

"Due to the threat of shark attack to both humans and whales, the surviving whales were killed by our trained team to prevent further suffering," government technical advisor Dave Lundquist told AFP.

"This decision was not taken lightly, but in such cases it is the best option," he added.

The corpses will be left to decompose naturally on site.

Mass strandings are not uncommon on the Chatham Islands, where the largest recorded beach housed an estimated 1,000 whales in 1918.

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