Police officers are seen on a boat near stranding whales in MacQuarie Heads, Tasmania, Australia in this picture obtained from social media dated September 22, 2020. RYAN BLOOMFIELD /via REUTERSRescuers were trying to refloat hundreds of whales stranded on a sandbar off the remote west coast of the Australian island of Tasmania on Tuesday, hoping to end one of the country’s worst beaching events. Pilot whales are a species of oceanic dolphin that grow to 7 metres (23 ft) long and can weigh up to 3 tonnes. Drawing them back out to sea is a labour intensive process that can include physically pushing the animals or using specialised tarpaulins and pontoons to drag them to deeper water. Around 40 government scientists, 20 police officers, and local fish farmers and volunteers were involved in the rescue attempt, which experts said was the hardest they had encountered.

Source: Standard Digital September 22, 2020 04:52 UTC