Pilot Whales Stranded on Cape Town Beach being Rescued

First Posted: Mar 25, 2013 12:37 PM EDT
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Several rescue teams scrambled on a beach in the South African city of Cape Town where 19 pilot whales were seen stranded on Sunday, out of which seven whales died, reports AFP.

Stranded on the Noordhoel Beach, several efforts are being made to keep the remaining whales alive. The authorities even plan to euthanize a few of the whales that are alive. This event has attracted several of the locals, who captured photos of the stranded whales that were being helped by the rescue team.

According to the spokesman for the National Sea Rescue Institute, Craig Lambinon, the cause of a mass whale stranding is unknown.

"Authorities had considered whether to try and refloat the whales, which washed up on the beach on Sunday morning. Seven are in poor health. We are still trying our best to save them, but those that can't be saved will be humanely euthanized," the South African Press Association quoted Lambinon as saying.

Reports according to The Associated Press state that in 2009, authorities in Cape Town had removed the carcasses of 55 whales that had beached themselves and were shot despite the rescue efforts provided by several volunteers.

The stranded whales have undergone physiological trauma and stress, Lieze Swart, department of environmental affairs chief research technician, was quoted as saying in News 24.

Five of the whales are being shifted to the naval base and taken out to the sea, of which one whale again re-beached and was later taken back into the water.

Have a look at the efforts made by the rescue team to save the stranded whales.

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