“ we’re looking at probably over 15 tonnes or more. “Our first option will be long-lining the carcasses out to deep ocean,” the incident controller Brendon Clark, said at a press conference on Thursday.īut the logistics for larger whale species are far trickier than pilot whales, which weigh up to three tonnes. Open decomposition and burial were both trialled after the 2020 pilot whale stranding, but authorities have said they are not the preferred methods for the most recent stranding. Photograph: Sam Gerrity/Southwest Expeditions
He said the disposal involved a “pretty confronting” process of towing dozens of carcasses out to sea.ĭead pilot whales are towed out to sea after a mass stranding event in Tasmania in 2020. Sam Gerrity, of Southwest Expeditions, has been involved in the logistical effort after both the most recent and 2020 mass strandings near Strahan. “They should be returned to sea – that’s where they belong.” How do you dispose of a dead whale?Ĭetaceans that die onshore after stranding should be towed out to the ocean, Meynecke said. “We can learn more about their diet, their genetics, how similar these individuals were to the population that stranded before,” she says, referring to a 2020 mass stranding event at the same location, in which 350 pilot whales died. “If there’s anything of benefit, it’s that the dead individuals will be an opportunity to contribute to science,” said Dr Vanessa Pirotta, a wildlife scientist affiliated with Macquarie University, who described it as the silver lining of a sad situation. “It’s actually part of the risk assessment … the animal has to be assessed beforehand and if there are signs of swelling in the gut area, the pressure needs to be released ahead. Usually necropsies cannot be conducted more than after a few days after a whale dies, due to the risk of explosion, he says. Researchers would probably carry out checks on the recently stranded animals, including necropsies to look at gut content, and assessing overall health indicators such as the thickness of their blubber layer, Meynecke said.
Sperm whale explodes as man tries to open stomach Guardian
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