Whale stranding tragedy

On Wednesday afternoon they were "mooching" about an idyllic Northland bay.
The next morning the two whales - each four to five metres long - lay dead in the shallow, crystal-clear water of Mimiwhangata.
Their grey skin was scratched and worn. Plugs of flesh were missing, probably removed by "cookie cutter sharks" which prowl deep waters ready to gouge out fresh meat.
Gently rocked back and forth by small waves, the pair of beaked whales - so named because of their distinctive snouts - appeared ready to flick their tail fins and swim off.
Instead ropes were tied around their lifeless tails and they were towed by boat to Mimiwhangata Beach where their bones were to be removed today by local Maori for carving, samples of their anatomy taken for genuine "scientific purposes", and their remains buried.
At the request of Department of Conservation staff, Geoff Lindberg and Di Moodabe of Newmarket, Auckland used their launch Natessa to tow the mammals the short distance to the whales' final resting place.
They'd seen the mammals very much alive the previous afternoon.
"They were just mooching around the bay. They mucked around reasonably close. They seemed to be together. One seemed to be in pain," said Ms Moodabe.
"It was thrashing about."
Yesterday morning Mr Lindberg got up and saw the whales had stranded in a rocky part of the bay. He contacted the Coastguard, who called DOC. He then swam ashore to Pongaheka Bay, also known as Whale Bay after a whaling station that used to be there, to wait by the whales.
Cherie Nagle, who is on holiday at Mimiwhangata, was watching later in the morning as DOC ranger Chris Moretti, his son Joe Moretti, and her sons Jade and River Stone tried to haul the whales around ready to be towed away.
"What would kill such a beautiful animal?" she said.
"This bay will always have a little bit of sadness for me. Once we see some live ones it'll be all right."
Alan Fleming, DOC's marine protection ranger for Whangarei, said whales that died in such circumstances were usually young, silly, old, pregnant or lost.
"It looks like it's natural causes. One was sick or in some sort of stress."
The other had probably followed the sick one in to shore.
"If one strikes off, one or more will come in to assist it. It's a natural response. The one giving the help gets into trouble."
He would measure the whales, take samples and photos, and send DNA samples to Auckland University's database.
Parts of the whales' anatomy may go to Te Papa in Wellington for the museum's skeletal collection.
Beak whale strandings in Northland were not uncommon. About a week ago one beached in Whangamumu.
A pilot whale stranded at Whangaruru just before Christmas. "These ones are interesting because local Maori `bone out' whales, these two are numbers 99 and 100," Mr Fleming said.
Ngatiwai Trust Board representative, carver Hori Parata, said all bones would be extracted and the rest of the carcass interred.
Taonga carved from whale bones had special significance not found in items made from cow or other exotic species.
* WHY DO WHALES STRAND?
A live whale beached on the shore is almost always in danger of its life. They are helpless on land and usually die within a few hours or days if not appropriately attended to.
Single Strandings:
Live (or freshly-dead individuals) are probably found on the shore because they are old, sick, injured and/or disorientated. Dead individuals washing ashore could be the result of natural mortality or, perhaps, were drowned in nets.
Multiple Strandings:
Live (or freshly-dead) animals of the same species coming ashore in a group typically belong to those species that have a lead animal and very tight social cohesion. Pilot whales are a good example.
Disease can also cause animals of the same species to come ashore.
1 Courtesy of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society via www.wdcs.org