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A grim spectacle unfolded on a remote Australian beach: a pod of 157 false killer whales had thrown themselves onto the sandy shore of Tasmania.
For two days, rescuers waged a desperate battle against time, tides, and terrain, clinging to hope that they could steer the creatures back to life. But as the sun set on their efforts, a heart-wrenching verdict echoed across the shoreline—it would be “impossible to save them.”
Many whales perished as soon as they hit the shore, stranded like fallen giants. Roughly 90 still clung to life with a slight chance at survival but due to complex conditions on the remote Tasmania beach, the last remaining batch of whales were euthanised, according to the BBC.
More than 50 of the long-finned pilot whales stranded on a Western Australian beach have died, despite an overnight vigil by wildlife experts, still racing to save other whales washed ashore
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One witness described the scene as “absolutely horrifying”, noting the gaze of the helpless creatures a silent plea that could not be answered.
Biologist Kris Carlyon told the BBC he has dealt with stranding before but this particular spot was “the trickiest location” he’s seen in 16 years.
Two whales were given a fleeting chance at freedom. Rescuers guided them past the surf’s jagged grasp, but the elements proved relentless. The wind howled, the seas thrashed, and as if the ocean itself had rejected them, the whales were swept back onto the sand.
Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Services reported that the creatures couldn’t break through the tumultuous surf.
“They just keep turning around and coming back towards the beach,” an employee lamented, their voice heavy with defeat.
This tragic phenomenon can happen because of how whales are at their core. As social animals, they follow one another with unwavering loyalty—even into death. Rough seas, disorienting their echolocation, often lead a single confused or sick whale astray. The rest, bound by bonds deeper than survival, follow without hesitation. Thus, one misstep becomes a collective catastrophe.
Reasons could also include disorientation caused by loud noises, illness, old age, injury, fleeing predators and severe weather.
More than 150 whales washed up on a remote beach in Australia. Typical first scene of any disaster movie.#UFOSightings #UFOTwitter #UFOX #Australia #Castrophism pic.twitter.com/JHLy2dUfue
— Strange Planet (@UFOsAreAmongUs) February 20, 2025
Department liaison officer Brendon Clark said the stranding was the first by false killer whales in Tasmania in since 1974. That was a pod of more than 160 whales that landed on a beach near Stanley on the northwest coast. Strandings in Tasmania are usually pilot whales.
Clark declined to speculate on why the latest pod might have stranded. Carcasses of dead whales would be examined for clues, he said.
Tasmania was again a graveyard of such a tragedy in 2020 when a staggering 450 long-finned pilot whales stranded themselves on the island’s coast. Though 50 were saved, the haunting sight of hundreds of lifeless bodies still lingers in the minds of those who bore witness.
Even the seasoned biologist, Kris Carlyon, called this latest ordeal the most challenging in his long-winded career—a testament to the sheer impossibility of the rescue.
In the end, mercy took the form of euthanasia—a final, sombre act to end the whales’ suffering.
