Wellingon: At least 300 pilot whales were found dead on Friday in New Zealand after over 400 of them were stranded in the remote Golden Bay in South Island.
Rescuers are racing to save hundreds of pilot whales in Golden Bay on Friday, after one of the country's largest recorded mass whale stranding.
Sources from the Ministry of Conservation said that it was estimated that a total of 416 whales were beached on Thursday night in a sandy area known as Farewell Spit, Efe news reported.
Up to 300 whales had died and volunteers were trying to send more than a hundred more back out to sea.
A conservation department worker noticed the whales washed ashore on Thursday evening, but the government agency decided against a night rescue effort for fear volunteers would be injured by the whales in the darkness.
Local media reported on Friday that volunteers had managed to refloat some of the whales during high tide, but most were quickly restranded as the tide ebbed.
The event was New Zealand's largest known whale stranding since 1985 when 450 were stranded in Auckland.
Whales often get stuck at Golden Bay, a remote but popular holiday area at the top of New Zealand's south island. The bay's shallow waters make it difficult for whales to return to deeper water, according to marine life rescue organization Jonah Watch.
In February 2015, an operation to save 200 pilot whales that were beached in the same area of Farewell Spit was carried out, but did not prevent the majority from dying.
The reasons why these whales have been stranded are still unknown.
The pilot whale is characterized by its domed forehead and robust body that can grow to between six and seven meters long.