Footage released to Australian media shows at least 20 black long-finned pilot dolphins struggling on the sands of Cheynes Beach near Albany, around 400 kilometers southeast of Perth.
Australian whale stranding experts have met to decide on a strategy to take as the Western Australia Wildlife Service has warned those tempted to come and help. “The safety of the public and the dolphins is our top priority, so we ask that members of the public do not approach the beach,” he said in a statement.
The wildlife service had spotted this school of pilot whales before it ran aground. He had posted a photo on social media showing dozens of animals in shallow water about 150 meters offshore before they started heading for the sand.
Massive strandings of pilot whales are not uncommon in Australia and New Zealand.
Last October, around 500 pilot whales died when they washed up on New Zealand’s remote Chatham Islands.