STORY: :: Jocelyn Flint/Mengha’s back paddock
:: February 19, 2025
:: Tasmania, Australia
:: Dozens of endangered false killer
whales wash up on a Tasmania beach
Eyewitness video at the scene showed dozens of the endangered dolphins, which can grow up to 20 feet (6.1 m) long and weigh up to 3,000 lbs (1,361 kg), stranded on a long stretch of the windswept remote beach. Some were still alive and struggling before the arrival of the rescue crews.
The location of the video was verified by the hills and river beach which matched satellite images. Reuters was able to confirm the date of the video from the source and original file metadata.
Initial checks showed 136 animals were still alive, Tasmania’s environment department said in a statement. Reasons for the beachings are unclear.
“Stranding response in this area is complex due to the inaccessibility of the site, ocean conditions and the challenges of getting specialist equipment to the remote area,” the statement said.
The dolphins were found stranded in the island state’s northwest coast near Arthur River, about 400 km (250 miles) from Tasmania’s state capital, Hobart.