Efforts to save a whale stranded on Oreti Beach near Invercargill have failed. The long-finned pilot whale, which has been left to die close to shore on Sunday evening, is about 4.5 metres long and believed to be of old age. Gemma McGrath, a whale and dolphin consultant who was at the beach, said a member of the public discovered the stranded whale about lunchtime and efforts to save it were abandoned after three attempts. Robyn Edie A long-finned pilot whale stranded at Oreti Beach, Invercargill, on Sunday. DOC biodiversity senior ranger Ros Cole said the decision was made, after consultation with Iwi, to let the whale die peacefully.

Source: Stuff February 10, 2019 04:41 UTC