Sri Lankan navy on Tuesday rescued more than 100 whales that had been mysteriously stranded on the shores of the country’s southwest coast. They had apparently been found stranded by the villagers who lived in the area close to the coast. Scores of short-finned pilot whales began coming ashore at Panadura, 25 kilometers (15 miles) south of Colombo, on Monday afternoon, and authorities were mobilized to help them back to sea.
“On the request of Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne, Jet skis provided by a local water sports club were utilized to pull the whales back into the ocean throughout the day and night,” the Sri Lanka Navy statement said.
Asha de Vos, a Sri Lankan marine biologist, told Newsfirst that these whales need to be floated and carefully pushed back into the sea. She added that if the whales get washed up on to the beach, it reduces their chances of survival.
Pilot whales, which can grow up to 6 metres (20 feet) long and weigh a tonne, are highly social. The phenomenon of whales getting stranded in shallow water remains largely a mystery to scientists. In September, several hundred whales died in shallows off the coast of Australia in its biggest stranding on record and one of the largest in the world.