Five whales die on Australian beach
Pastor Dale Morgan
*Five whales die on Australian beach*
October 24, 2006 06:30pm
Article from: AAP
FIVE sperm whales have died after being stranded on a West Australian beach.
It is the second major beaching of sperm whales in the past few years
near Bremer Bay, on the southern WA coast, the Department of Environment
and Conservation (DEC) said.
DEC Wildlife Officer Peter Collins found the whales today while
investigating a reported sighting by a fisherman.
"The five whales range from 9.7 metres to 12.5 metres and weigh between
15 and 25 tonnes,'' Mr Collins said.
"There were no visible signs of the cause of death, although one animal
was 20 metres away from the others, indicating it may have stranded
causing the other four to follow it.''
In 2003, nine whales stranded near Bremer Bay, the largest stranding
since 1979 when 22 animals were beached.