More than 20 endangered sei whales found beached in Chile

More than 20 whales were found dead and rotting along a rocky coast of southern Chile, maritime officials said Friday, as they tried to determine what killed them and when. The whales, discovered beached north of the Gulf of Penas, measured about 10 metres long, according to officials with Chile’s national fisheries service. Officials identified them as sei whales, which are internationally protected after being hunted nearly to extinction during the middle of the 20th century. They were discovered by a group of foreign scientists who were conducting research in the area.

They were everywhere, none were injured, so we thought they suffered from a red tide (algal bloom) or a virus.

German biologist Vreni Haussermann, who led the group that found the whales

It’s the first time sei whales have been found beached in the country, the Fisheries Service said. The International Union for Conservation of Natures lists the sei as an endangered species.  A military base is located several miles from the beached whales’ location. Haussermann said the scientists discovered the whales on April 21, but they only recently returned to a town where they were able to alert the fisheries service.

I think they were swept away by the currents. In my 15 years in the area I never saw something like that.

Haussermann

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