{"id":41462,"date":"2013-03-25T07:51:12","date_gmt":"2013-03-25T05:51:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whalecottage.com\/blog\/?p=41462"},"modified":"2013-03-27T00:48:42","modified_gmt":"2013-03-26T22:48:42","slug":"whale-of-a-pilot-whale-beaching-on-cape-towns-noordhoek-beach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/cape-town\/whale-of-a-pilot-whale-beaching-on-cape-towns-noordhoek-beach\/","title":{"rendered":"Whale of a pilot whale beaching on Cape Town’s Noordhoek beach!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Nineteen pilot whales beached on Noordhoek beach early yesterday morning, of which fourteen died.<\/p>\n

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iol <\/strong>reports that five of the beached whales were transported to Simonstown, and were released back into the ocean, but one re-beached there again. Five whales died naturally, while another nine were \u2018humanely euthanised\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

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Local residents, the NSRI, and police helped to keep the whales alive by pouring buckets of water over them and by placing towels on them.\u00a0 Attracting attention across Cape Town after media broadcasts and Tweets announced the beaching, Noordhoek beach was eventually closed.<\/p>\n

Whale researchers have not been able to explain why whales beach. It is speculated that the lead whale may become ill or caught in shallow water, and followed by the remainder of the pod.\u00a0 Research also shows that marine pollution, shipping noise, as well as navy sonar noise may disorient whales and lead to the beaching. Pilot whales have a higher likelihood of beaching than other types of whales, particularly in New Zealand and Australia. Four years ago 55 killer whales beached at Kommetjie.<\/p>\n

POSTSCRIPT 26\/3<\/strong>: In the Cape Times<\/strong> Letters page today, Nan Rice, CEO of the Dolphin Action & Protection Group, corrects the incorrect media reports about the type of whales that beached, being false killer whales, and not pilot whales. \u00a0She writes critically about bystanders that criticise the euthanising of the stranded whales, and argues that it is more humane to euthanise them. \u00a0Not one of the nineteen whales survived, the whales put out into the ocean rebeaching again and also dying.<\/p>\n

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com<\/a> Twitter: @Whale Cottage<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nineteen pilot whales beached on Noordhoek beach early yesterday morning, of which fourteen died. iol reports that five of the beached whales were transported to Simonstown, and were released back into the ocean, but one re-beached there again. Five whales died naturally, while another nine were \u2018humanely euthanised\u2019 Local residents, the NSRI, and police helped […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[3,124,21,241],"tags":[32378,1505,18626,18625,15846,1433,1439,13823,766,1432,32373],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t