Tonight I came across the news that 74 whales had beached themselves in northern New Zealand, the second mass stranding in the area in two months. While this behavior is surprising, scientist don't have a clue of why the whales get stranded. Some possible theories include: herd behavior, fleeing predators, beach formations that confuse the whales echo-location senses, and possible interference from human sonar. A month ago, CNN published the news that 58 whales had died on Karikari Beach when they came ashore overnight. Many died before being discovered and many more were disoriented when put back in the water.
I also read in a past article that New Zealand's Far North region is experiencing heavy rain and wind which could have something to do with the whales disorientation. After our class on tuesday, I can also point out that maybe overall global warming might have something to do with this. I know every organism in the planet is interconnected, by affecting their environment, we affect them directly. It is definitively something to look out for, maybe some changes are going on in the New Zealand's water that is messing with the whales sensors. Other than that, this is a very sad loss and hopefully after seeing this event happen for a second time in two months, there will be rescue teams more efficient to get the whales back in the water before they die.
Link to site: http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/22/74-whales-beached-in-northern-new-zealand/?hpt=T2
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