MidnightWatcher – Prophecy in Motion

“THIRTY-two pilot whales were confirmed dead today while the lives of 34 others hung in the balance after a mass stranding on tidal flats off New Zealand’s South Island.

The remote location of the stranding meant rescuers were unable to help the marine mammals and their survival will depend on the tide, the Department of Conservation’s area manager, John Mason, told the Nelson Mail.

Mr Mason said the whales, up to five metres long, were stranded on the tidal flats at the tip of Farewell Spit in Golden Bay, located nearly three kilometres offshore at the northern end of South Island.

‘There’s really nothing we can do for them so we just have to hope that they manage to get out by themselves,’ Mr Mason added.

The deaths of the mammals follow the stranding in Australia’s island state of Tasmania over the weekend.

Twenty-three sperm whales, up to 18 metres long, died after they became stuck on Ocean Beach, near Strahan, on Saturday. One of the whales died overnight on Monday, leaving the sole surviving whale stranded off a nearby sandbank at Fraser Flats.

Rescuers had to abandon their attempts to refloat the final whale today due to wild weather, The Mercury reported.” Read more.