None of the dolphins that washed ashore could be saved, and all either died naturally or were euthanized, said Darren Grover, CEO of the nonprofit group Project Jonah, which helps rescue whales. For the Associated Press.
Dolphins drifted ashore on the Chatham Islands, which are home to about 600 people and about 800 kilometers (500 miles) east of New Zealand’s main islands.
According to the environment ministry, 232 dolphins washed ashore at Topwangi Beach on Friday and another 245 dolphins washed up at Wayhere Bay on Monday. The deaths come two weeks after nearly 200 bottlenose dolphins in Australia died after being washed ashore on a remote Tasmanian beach.
Although these are normal events, it is still sad and difficult for helpers
– Books of the Ministry of Environmental Protection.
Grover said that because of the remote location and the presence of sharks, they were unable to mobilize volunteers to bring the dolphins back into the water as they did in the past.
On the Chatham Islands, due to the risk of sharks attacking both humans and dolphins, we could not perform rescue operations, so we had no choice but to euthanize the animals.
— said Dave Lundquist, the department’s naval advisor.
