About 14 sperm whales were found dead on the shore of a remote island near Tasmania on the south coast of Australia on Monday afternoon, September 19, Daily Star reported. A scientist has referred to the cause of the death of the whales as a "complete mystery" and the reason the whales swam toward the King Island shore.
Officials from Tasmania's Department of Natural Resources and Environment have advised the public, especially swimmers, to stay away from the area on King Island as whale carcasses could attract sharks.
Three of eight sperm whales that washed up dead on the mud flats shore were seen on February 4, 2016, near Dithmarschen, Germany.
Experts to Conduct Necropsies on Stranded Sperm Whale Carcasses
Wildlife biologists and a veterinarian have already been sent to the area to investigate. Wildlife scientist Vanessa Priotta told ABC they do not have any clue for now as to why the mass strandings happened and said that it is the million-dollar question that needs to be answered every time this kind of event happens.
But they think that one of the possible causes could be that the whales were heading for the beach and a navigation error occurred from the leading figure, which resulted in the pod following the mistake to the tragic mass stranding of the whales.
A government spokesperson said they hope an aerial survey will help determine whether more animals are being stranded in the area. They will assign a plane to fly over the island in the next few days to survey its coastline.
Daily Mail reported that Griffith University marine scientist Dr. Olaf Meynecke hypothesized that sperm whales could have been sick or have been impacted by something that led them to get stranded. Meynecke pointed out a planned massive seismic activity in the area for gas and oil exploration, which could have affected the whales.
Perhaps the natural geomagnetic changes happening led to a negative impact on them. Also, warmer temperatures could be changing the ocean currents and moving the traditional food sources of the whales. Due to that, they are forced to go to different areas to search for different food sources, which is not the best physical condition because it might starve them and lead them to take more risks and move closer to the shore.
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Whale Mass Strandings Not an Unusual Sight in the Area
The local Department of Natural Resources and Environment spokesperson told Daily Mail that these kinds of mass strandings of sperm whales are not unusual in the area. Tasmania has been a known place where whales have become stranded oftentimes, given its location is within the normal range for sperm whale habitats.
An investigation is underway into the mysterious stranding of the large marine mammals in Tasmania, but officials believe that it is possible that the sperm whales found were part of the same bachelor pod, which is a group of young whales associating together.
According to BBC News, more than 380 pilot whales died in the worst mass stranding in Australia in September 2020. That time it was also in Tasmania, specifically in Macquarie Heads on the island's west coast. Dr. Pirotta noted that the cause of mass stranding may be unknown for now, but many different currents intersect with the land.
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