AR-News: (Australia) Natural trap snares whales, dolphins

[Animalara2003 at aol.com]

By Andrew Darby
November 26, 2003


 
Wildlife officers examine the bodies of the whales and dolphins. 
Picture: Rodger Lovell 
Wildlife scientists are trying to piece together the cause of a mass 
stranding in Tasmania's south-western wilderness that killed 130 whales and dolphins.
The corpses of the 110 long-finned pilot whales and 20 bottlenose dolphins 
yesterday lay scattered on the shore or among kelp at remote Hibbs Bay, about 50 
kilometres south of Strahan.
They ran ashore up to 10 days ago, but were only reported by a passing 
abalone diver late on Monday. 
All were dead yesterday, their bodies bleached by the sun, when the Tasmanian 
Government's Nature Conservation Branch team flew in.
"They were of all ages," team member Rosemary Gales said from the site. "It 
was very sad to see such an array, particularly of young calves and pregnant 
females. It really drives home how important it is to find out early about a 
stranding."
The animals died in one of the shoreline's natural whale traps - like many 
other Tasmanian stranding sites, Hibbs Bay opens to the north and narrows into a 
tight corner at its southern base. 





full story:
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/11/25/1069522604112.html

You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who can 
do nothing for them, or to them."  (Malcolm Forbes, 1919-1990)
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