“Sun is a really hard thing for these whales to navigate. They are big black animals, and obviously having the sun beating down on them for a number of hours throughout the morning is going to be uncomfortable, so we’re working hard to get cool water on them, and just try and keep that body temperature down.”
The whales were beached closer to the sea than the previous two strandings, which meant they would be surrounded by water for more of the day, and would be easier to refloat, Hawkes said.
People in wetsuits wanting to help were welcome, but they were limiting the number to avoid further stressing the animals.
Volunteers would be particularly helpful after midday, as they were planning to refloat the whales this afternoon, she said.
Last night a Project Jonah spokesperson said 15 of the stranded whales were swimming freely in the bay.
The spokesperson said the remaining whales were still in the tidal zone, but were showing signs of encouraging behaviour.
The Department of Conservation, which is also assisting at the site of the latest stranding, said Farewell Spit, where whales frequently strand at the top of the South Island, “is a naturally occurring ‘whale trap’ that occurs along a migratory route for long-finned pilot whales in New Zealand”.
– RNZ