Over 150 fake killer whales stranded on Australian beaches,

On February 19th, local time, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported a heart wrenching scene at a beach in the northwest of Tasmania, Australia, where over 150 fake killer whales collectively stranded, including both adult fake killer whales and many juvenile whales. It is estimated that these fake killer whales had been stranded on the beach for 24 to 48 hours when they were discovered by people.

Pseudo killer whales are animals of the dolphin family, belonging to the genus Pseudokiller Whales. They are widely distributed and mostly inhabit deep waters near tropical to warm temperate zones. They prefer to live in groups, usually forming a population of 20-100, and sometimes even forming large populations of hundreds. This large-scale grounding incident is heart wrenching.

Due to the remote location of the beach where the incident occurred and the difficulty in transporting professional rescue tools, coupled with harsh ocean conditions, it has greatly hindered the rescue work. Rescue workers overcame numerous difficulties and made every effort to advance the rescue operation, but ultimately, after evaluation by local wildlife experts, the Tasmanian government reluctantly decided to euthanize 90 surviving but suffering fake killer whales.

Australian marine biologist Chris, who is responsible for this rescue, said that the current situation is very pessimistic, and euthanasia may be the best way to deal with these animals. The reason for the large-scale stranding of fake killer whales has not yet been determined. However, Chris analyzed that as a social animal, if a single member of the pseudo killer whale becomes ill or loses direction and runs aground, it is likely to affect other members of the family, leading to collective stranding.

In addition, changes in the marine environment, such as abnormal water temperature and salinity, as well as interference from human activities such as ship navigation, underwater blasting, artificial sonar, etc., may interfere with the sonar system of pseudo killer whales, causing them to lose their direction and increasing the risk of stranding. Moreover, fake killer whales have a strong attachment to each other. When their companions are injured or stranded, they will stay by their side, which may also cause more fake killer whales to stay in shallow waters and become stranded.

The false killer whale stranding incident has sounded the alarm for humanity to protect the marine ecological environment. We need to pay more attention to the survival status of marine organisms, reduce damage to the marine environment, and avoid similar tragedies from happening again.