The Department of Conservation have refloated all eight pygmy whales stranded at Rarawa Beach in the Far North, but two returned to shore in a bad condition and had to be euthanised.
The latest update says the six other whales are around 400m off shore and swimming, with DOC continuing to closely monitor them.
They were moved to Rarawa Beach yesterday and rested overnight in a stream where DOC staff and volunteers remained with them.
The plan was to shift the whales back into the water from about 10am, then help them "equalise" for an hour or so before releasing them as a group around high tide.
The whales were moved from 90 Mile Beach to the east coast, where rescuers say they’ve got a better chance of survival. (Source: Other)
"Equalising" relates to the mammals regaining their balance. If the liquid in their inner ear gets displaced when they stay in one position for any time it means that they can swim in circles. If they release the whales too early they can strand again.
The whale is kept within a group of two to six people who hold the whale so that its blowhole is kept mostly out of the water so it can breathe, but rock it from side to side for up to an hour, stopping occasionally to check to see if it can hold its balance on its own, out of the water.
In an ideal release, all the whales have regained their balance and are ready to swim in the one direction.
DOC says there were 300 public volunteers that helped with the refloating effort today.
A delicate rescue operation is underway to try and save the mammals. (Source: Other)
The pod became stranded near Te Paki Stream at the northern end of Ninety Mile Beach along a 5km stretch of sand two nights ago.
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