A rare whale that was freed after being stranded at a popular Auckland harbour bay has beached again a day later and died.
The male Shepherd’s beaked whale was spotted washed up on rocks near St Heliers and Ladies Bay on Tuesday morning and locals made multiple calls to the Department of Conservation (DoC).
Whale and Dolphin Watch Facebook page founder Christine Rose told the Herald the whale had now washed up dead at Scott Pt, Hobsonville, 18km from where it was initially rescued.
Volunteers from DoC and marine protection agency Project Jonah worked together for seven hours to float the whale to deeper water. Vets at the scene said the mammal’s breathing rate was “consistently high” and it had bleeding from its tail.
Project Jonah confirmed the news of the whale’s death at 9pm on Wednesday.
“Local iwi, Te Kawerau ā Maki, are with the whale, ensuring it continues to be respected and working with DoC around next steps.”
Te Kawerau a Maki iwi pou taiao environment manager Ashleigh McDonald and a colleague had been at Scott Pt overnight since they were told about the dead whale yesterday afternoon.
“We slept in sleeping bags on the rocks to make sure we stayed by the whale’s side.”
McDonald said the death of the whale is being treated as a “cultural experience and process”.
“It’s a very rare whale and a taonga for us.”
The dead mammal had to be towed by jetski closer to shore to stop it from floating away.
“What we do next and where we take him is totally down to logistics. I’m working with my chief executive to ensure the process is right,” McDonald said.
“At the moment we will stay and wait here to make sure everyone’s respectful.”
McDonald said the response by the community had been positive overall, with local schools and residents having offered support.
“It means so much to us because we have marae land just around the corner so he [the whale] and this area is taonga to us.”
DoC wildlife response volunteer Shaun Lee, who was one of the first on scene when the whale stranded earlier in the week, today said he was sad to learn the creature didn’t survive.
Lee stayed in the water by himself for an hour beside the mammal until volunteer crews from Project Jonah arrived.
He later posted to social media about the encounter saying, “yesterday was incredibly stressful, trying to keep this three-tonne shepherd’s beaked whale off the beach by myself while the tide was going out”.
“Between dodging its powerful tail and big teeth, worrying about the whale, and communicating with experts, it was a short but serious physical and emotional challenge.”
People took to Facebook to comment on Lee’s actions.
“Wow, Shaun, great commitment... great job.. thank you”, while another posted, “You are astounding Shaun” and “great work Shaun. You are an inspiration”.
Project Jonah spokeswoman Louisa Hawkes told RNZ that Shepherd’s beaked whales lived in the deep sea and would only come to shore if something was wrong.
She said Shepherd’s beaked whales have only been spotted at sea four times, with fewer than 50 strandings recorded globally.
Rose said it’s not uncommon for sick whales to seek refuge in the upper Waitematā Harbour.
“Unfortunately, a lot of strandings end up in re-strandings then death.”
She praised the efforts of Lee and other volunteers.
“I’ve experienced a very similar, deeply personal encounter with a beaked whale and it’s upsetting when they end up dying... but it’s common. They did all they could do.”
She said after the whale was floated by pontoon out to sea it was spotted under Devonport Wharf “looking strong” before beaching again in Hobsonville.
DoC’s mainland Auckland operations manager Bec Rush said it was unusual for a deep-water species of whale to be found close to shore, with such incidents often a sign it is injured or sick.
“We have taken tissue samples for scientific analysis and are working alongside mana whenua to remove the remains from the current spot to a suitable burial site,” she said.
“Thank you to everyone involved this week, including Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Ngāti Paoa, Te Kawerau ā Maki, Project Jonah and Massey University, and the volunteers and public who have been a great support.”