Bet this doesn’t get much coverage with the Word Cup about to start!!
Hundreds of Pilot Whales Died off of Australia’s Coast. Prevent Future Tragedies Like This From Occurring!
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.