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Beached whale rescued
last update: Apr 08, 2008 09:46 AM
One Pygmy Sperm whale was saved, but another one had to be shot. Rescue workers of Himatangi Beach on New Zealand's North Island's west coast battled heavy surf for seven hours.
Two Pygmy Sperm whales were trapped in shallow water on a New Zealand beach. With the help of the Conservation Department staff and residents, one of the whales swam back to deep water.
The other whale was too distressed and the efforts to steer the mammal back into deep water failed. To end her suffering, she was shot ranger Jim Campbell said. "She's given up," Campbell said. "In the natural course of events, she would die."
It is not unusual that whales beach themselves on New Zealand's coast. Sometimes, there are as many as 450 a year. It is still not known why the mammals swim into dangerously shallow waters.
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