New Zealand conservationists sacrifice young whale to save 40

0 Comments | AFP, November, 2006

WELLINGTON (AFP) — New Zealand conservation officials were cautiously confident they had saved 40 whales by sacrificing a young male who appeared reluctant to leave a beach where 37 others had died. However, they were to maintain a watch along the east coast of New Zealand's northland region over the weekend in case the pilot whales attempted to return on an incoming tide.

The whales were herded out to sea following a mass stranding on Friday, but after moving 1.5 kilometres (about one mile) from the beach they were seen milling around when a young male turned back to the shoreline. Department of Conservation stranding incident controller, Steve Goddard, said the decision was made to put down the whale to prevent the other survivors restranding. "We were also concerned it...