Heartbreaking decision made to prevent another mass whale stranding

• 160 pilot whales were stranded on Thursday 
• Around 30 of the animals died
• READ MORE: More than a quarter of whales stranded on Aussie beach now dead

A solo pilot whale calf off a West Australia beach where 160 whales beached themselves will be euthanised.

Vets are concerned the whale could send out distress calls, resulting in another mass stranding.

On Thursday 160 long-finned pilot whales were beached at Toby Inlet near Busselton in WA’s south-west.

Around 30 whales died, with authorities and community volunteers managing to save about 100.

Wildlife officer Pia Courtis from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions said on Friday the ‘disorientated’ 1.5m juvenile pilot whale was spotted near Eagle Bay boat ramp.

She said the whale appeared to have been abandoned and was still too young to feed by itself.

On Thursday 160 long-finned pilot whales were beached at Toby Inlet near Busselton in WA’s south west

Around 30 of the stranded whales died, despite the efforts of authorities and community volunteers

‘We’re talking with vets and making a plan for how we manage that. Unfortunately for that animal, the only option would be euthanasia.’

Ms Courtis said the juvenile could attract other whales close to shore, leading to another stranding.

‘It is a concern and that’s why we have the spotter plane and vessels out in the ocean to see what’s going on,’ she said.

‘It’s vocalising and making noises and could attract a pod — if there’s one out there — close into shore and we could see a repeat of what happened yesterday,’ Geographe Marine Research chair Ian Weise said.

Four pods of whales spread across 500metres of beach on Thursday, with another two pods of about 130 animals offshore in the ocean.

Geographe Marine Research chair Ian Wiese told the ABC yesterday he saw many of the dead creatures, describing the scene as ‘terrible’.

Four pods of whales spread across 500 metres of beach on Thursday

Volunteers managed to save about 100 pilot whales but at least 30 died

Parks and Wildlife Service Western Australia posted on Facebook to alert the public of the stranding, with Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) staff joining with Perth Zoo vets to try and move the animals back into the water.

‘We know people want to help but we asked that people please do not attempt to rescue the animals without direction of DBCA staff as this may cause further injury, and distress to the animals and hinder a coordinated rescue effort,’ the post read.

‘The highest priority at mass whale stranding events is always human safety followed by animal welfare. We want all staff and volunteers to go home safe.’

The mass stranding follows a similar event at Albany further south on the WA coastline in July last year.

In November 34 pilot whales were also found dead at Bryans Beach, 140km northeast of Hobart.

READ MORE: Heartbreaking scenes as dozens of pilot whales become stranded in Tasmania