Hundreds of Whales Die on New Zealand Beaches
2022-10-13
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1Hundreds of pilot whales died this week on the beaches of the Chatham Islands, about 800 kilometers east of New Zealand.
2It is the second large stranding of whales in recent weeks.
3About 200 pilot whales died in the Australian state of Tasmania in late September.
4New Zealand officials said the islands are home to about 600 people.
5Rescue groups went to help but they could not get the whales back in the water.
6Many of them died naturally but others were euthanized because they could not be saved.
7At least 477 whales are believed to have died.
8New Zealand's Department of Conservation wrote about the stranded whales on Facebook.
9"These events are tough, challenging situations," the department wrote.
10"Although they are natural occurrences, they are still sad and difficult for those helping."
11Daren Grover works for a group called Project Jonah that works to rescue whales.
12He called the event a "heartbreaking" loss.
13He said the islands' distance from New Zealand and the presence of sharks in the water made it hard to help the whales.
14Dave Lundquist is an adviser for New Zealand's Department of Conservation.
15He said the department does not try to save whales on those islands because the sharks make it unsafe for both people and the whales.
16He called euthanasia "the kindest option."
17Grover said the Chatham Islands are a place where whales go to find food.
18As the whales get closer to land, however, they can become confused.
19Strandings of large groups of whales are common in the summer, scientists say.
20Grover said the whales use a system called echolocation to find food and avoid barriers underwater.
21But as they get closer to land they can lose their place if the water level changes quickly.
22"Before they know it," Grover said, "they're stranded on the beach."
23Grover said the whale bodies will not be moved.
24They will decompose naturally.
25"Nature is the great recycler," he said.
26I'm Dan Friedell.
1Hundreds of pilot whales died this week on the beaches of the Chatham Islands, about 800 kilometers east of New Zealand. 2It is the second large stranding of whales in recent weeks. About 200 pilot whales died in the Australian state of Tasmania in late September. 3New Zealand officials said the islands are home to about 600 people. Rescue groups went to help but they could not get the whales back in the water. Many of them died naturally but others were euthanized because they could not be saved. At least 477 whales are believed to have died. 4New Zealand's Department of Conservation wrote about the stranded whales on Facebook. 5"These events are tough, challenging situations," the department wrote. "Although they are natural occurrences, they are still sad and difficult for those helping." 6Daren Grover works for a group called Project Jonah that works to rescue whales. He called the event a "heartbreaking" loss. 7He said the islands' distance from New Zealand and the presence of sharks in the water made it hard to help the whales. 8Dave Lundquist is an adviser for New Zealand's Department of Conservation. He said the department does not try to save whales on those islands because the sharks make it unsafe for both people and the whales. 9He called euthanasia "the kindest option." 10Grover said the Chatham Islands are a place where whales go to find food. As the whales get closer to land, however, they can become confused. 11Strandings of large groups of whales are common in the summer, scientists say. 12Grover said the whales use a system called echolocation to find food and avoid barriers underwater. But as they get closer to land they can lose their place if the water level changes quickly. 13"Before they know it," Grover said, "they're stranded on the beach." 14Grover said the whale bodies will not be moved. They will decompose naturally. 15"Nature is the great recycler," he said. 16I'm Dan Friedell. 17Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on a report by The Associated Press. 18________________________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20strand -v. to cause something that is normally in the water to be stuck on land 21euthanize -v. to kill to prevent suffering 22challenging -adj. something that is difficult 23option -n. a possible choice 24confused -adj. unable to understand a situation 25decompose -n. to slowly break down into a simpler form through a natural process 26recycle -v. to make something new from something that has been used or worn out 27_____________________________________________________________ 28We want to hear from you. How do you feel about the whales? 29We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 30Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.