New Zealand is a whale stranding hotspot. It's often not clear why they happen but the island nation's geography is believed to be a factor.
Rescuers rope off an area around a dead pilot whale that was stranded on Ruakākā Beach in northland, New Zealand on Sunday.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — More than 30 pilot whales that stranded themselves on a beach in New Zealand were safely returned to the ocean after conservation workers and residents helped to refloat them by lifting them on sheets. Four of the pilot whales died, New Zealand's conservation agency said.
A Māori cultural ceremony for the three adult whales and one calf that died in the stranding took place on Monday. New Zealand's Indigenous people consider whales a taonga — a sacred treasure — of cultural significance. New Zealand has recorded more than 5,000 whale strandings since 1840. The largest pilot whale stranding was of an estimated 1,000 whales at the Chatham Islands in 1918, according to the Department of Conservation.
It's often not clear why strandings happen but the island nation's geography is believed to be a factor. Both the North and South Islands feature stretches of protruding coastline with shallow, sloping beaches that can confuse species such as pilot whales — which rely on echolocation to navigate.Newcomer Welcome Centers open at San Diego Unified to support immigrant studentsMore than 100,000 pounds of ground beef are recalled for possibly having E.
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New Zealanders help to save about 30 whales after a pod strands on a beachMore than 30 pilot whales that stranded themselves on a beach in New Zealand have been safely returned to the ocean after conservation workers and residents helped to refloat them by lifting them on sheets.
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New Zealanders help to save about 30 whales after a pod strands on a beachMore than 30 pilot whales that stranded themselves on a beach in New Zealand have been safely returned to the ocean after conservation workers and residents helped to refloat them by lifting them on sheets. New Zealand’s conservation agency said four whales died.
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New Zealanders help to save about 30 whales after a pod strands on a beachMore than 30 pilot whales that stranded themselves on a beach in New Zealand have been safely returned to the ocean after conservation workers and residents helped to refloat them by lifting them on sheets.
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New Zealanders help save about 30 whales after a pod strands on a beachNew Zealand is a whale stranding hotspot. It's often not clear why they happen but the island nation's geography is believed to be a factor.
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