A Southern Bottlenose whale has died after becoming stranded on a beach in Timaru.
A Department of Conservation spokesperson said the hotline was contacted at about 5.45pm on Tuesday by members of the public.
Project Jonah was alerted as was Te Rūnanga o Arowhenua.
Local Project Jonah volunteers went to South Beach as did two Department of Conservation staff members.
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Advertise with NZME.The whale was a small Southern Bottlenose. They are beaked whales which are a deep-water species. It's likely that this whale was unwell, they said.
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DoC Geraldine operations manager Duncan Toogood said when he arrived Project Jonah volunteers told him the whale had died.
Given the size of the whale, it was likely to be a juvenile and there were no obvious signs of injury.
"It wasn't possible to retrieve the whale on Tuesday night as it was still being moved around a lot in the surf."
Toogood said three "good sized sharks" were also spotted near the whale.
Scientific samples to be taken before the whale was buried in the afternoon,
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It's the first time, he's aware, that a Southern Bottlenose has been found in the area, Toogood said.
A post on the Project Jonah Facebook page said the beach has several hazards, including stones which can easily cause wounds to a stranded whale and a deep drop-off close to shore as well as a strong undertow, "which was causing the whale to be rolled up the beach in the surf, highly stressful for a stranded whale," it said.
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Advertise with NZME.Whale or dolphin strandings should be reported to the DoC emergency hotline 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468).