A mass stranding of whales and dolphins on New Zealand’s Chatham Islands has left 97 pilot whales and 3 dolphins dead.
Although strandings are not uncommon in the region, conservation officers were unable to respond quickly enough to save many of the whales, choosing to humanely euthanise many due to unsafe water conditions.
The whales will be left to decompose on the beach, with local Moriori and Maori groups performing a ceremony to honour them.