Exactly
two years ago, upwards of 450 pilot whales stranded
themselves, dying on the shores of Tasmania, Australia.
It was the single largest stranding incident in the
region's history. And now, history is repeating
itself. Just a few weeks ago, another huge
group of pilot whales -- numbering around 230
individuals -- became stranded off the coast of Tasmania
again. In distress and agony, they beached
themselves, and most died. Luckily, a group of
rescuers came together to help the few surviving pilot
whales. They managed to bring around 30 animals
back into the water, guiding them into deeper waters
using local boats. The next step is preventing a
future tragedy like this from ever happening
again.
The
shores of Tasmania are particularly treacherous for
pilot whales, with some known to be "whale
traps." The shallow slopes along the beaches'
ocean floors confuses the whales as they try to
echolocate their way around. Once they become
disoriented, the panicked animals call out for each
other. Friends of friends of friends show up en masse to
help the confused pilot whale -- leading to hundreds of
animals becoming trapped together. And as
climate change wrecks the oceans' ecosystems,
wildlife like pilot whales must search further and
further for food sources. That means they'll come closer
and closer to Tasmanian beaches. So far, though, we
aren't sure how to prevent future strandings -- except,
of course, by halting and reversing climate change. But
in the meantime, we must invest in research and
technology that can help solve this problem! Sign the petition to
urge Australian authorities to provide funding for
scientists. It's imperative to learn how we can prevent
future mass
strandings.
