Over 100 Stranded Pilot Whales Saved in Sri Lanka

WEB DESK: After laborious efforts, the navy and volunteers in Sri Lanka saved some 120 stranded pilot whales after successfully pushing them back to the deeper waters on Tuesday.

However, three pilot whales and a dolphin succumbed to the injuries after cetacean stranding on Monday on the country’s western coast at Panadura, some 25 kilometers (km) south of the country’s capital, Colombo.

A resident, Pathum Hirushan, said that initially, some whales started beaching in the afternoon however their number gradually increased to over 100 by the sunset.

“Some of the fishermen from the area tried to push back the whales. The sea was rough and the waves would bring them back to shore,”, he added.

Then, the navy assisted by coast guard and local volunteers and pushed back the mammals into the deeper sea with the help of small patrol boats.

Pilot whales can grow up to six meters long and are considered to highly social. The causes of cetacean stranding or beaching have remained unknown to this day despite scientists studying the phenomenon for decades.