Over 140 whales strand and die on New Zealand beach

Baku. 26 November. REPORT.AZ/ A group of up to 145 pilot whales have died after becoming stranded on a beach on Stewart Island in New Zealand, Report informs citing BBC.

The animals were discovered by walkers late on Saturday, strewn along the beach of Mason Bay.

Authorities said half the whales had already died by then, while the other half were put down as it would have been too difficult to save them.

Notably, whale strandings are not uncommon in New Zealand and there are about 85 incidents a year. In most cases though, it's just a single animal that is beached, not a whole pod.

It's not fully known why whales or dolphins strand, the agency said. Possible reasons might be sickness, navigational errors, falling tides or being chased by a predator.