4 pygmy killer whales die after mass stranding in Pingtung

Taipei, Feb. 24 (CNA) Local authorities said Tuesday that four of 11 pygmy killer whales stranded on a Pingtung beach in southern Taiwan have died, while the remaining seven animals will be returned to the open sea after being deemed fit for release.

Following an 8 a.m. report from local citizens, the Coast Guard Administration's (CGA) Southern Branch mobilized around 60 personnel, including whale experts from conservation groups and academic institutions, to respond to a mass stranding of pygmy killer whales in Pingtung's Checheng Township.

Four of the whales showed no signs of life when rescuers arrived, and their carcasses will be taken to National Cheng Kung University's Marine Biology and Cetacean Research Center for necropsies to determine the cause of death, the CGA said.

Wang Hao-ven (王浩文), director of the center, said the pod may have become stranded during low tide while staying behind to care for weakened companions, as the seven survivors showed no signs of injury or malnutrition.

Based on past cases, pygmy killer whales are highly social and will often assist weakened pod members, for instance, by helping a struggling companion reach the surface to breathe, said Wang, who was involved in the rescue operation.

To rescue the survivors, rescuers rapidly dug temporary pools on the beach, righted the animals and continuously poured water over them to keep them moist, preventing pectoral fin compression and dehydration, according to the CGA.

The seven surviving whales were found to have normal blood test results and to be in fair condition after assessment by rescuers and will be taken offshore by boat and released back into the wild, the CGA said Tuesday afternoon.

Since Taiwan began recording cetacean stranding in 1994, nearly 20 mass strandings of pygmy killer whales have occurred, mostly along the southwestern coast from Pingtung and Kaohsiung to Tainan, mainly between late February and April, according to Wang.