270 Beached Whales Die in New Zealand

An estimated 270 pilot whales died after beaching themselves on a remote island, where some were shot to end their suffering, a fisheries official said. The tide was receding when the whales were discovered, and those still living would have died before it came back in, Chatham Islands official Barry Lanuzue said.

Eleven of 15 dolphins that beached themselves nearby in Petrie Bay, 440 miles east of mainland New Zealand, were saved with the help of volunteers, Lanuzue said.