Some beached whales saved, others killed

KOMMETJIE, South Africa, May 30 (UPI) -- About 20 of 55 beached pilot whales at Kommetjie, South Africa, were rescued but the rest either died of natural causes or were euthanized, officials said.

The marine mammals turned up on the Cape Town suburb's Long Beach and rescue efforts began Saturday morning, The Times of Johannesburg reported.

At least five whales died of natural causes on the beach and others had to be shot, said Craig Lambinon, spokesman for the National Sea Rescue Institute. Marine and Coastal Management scientist Mike Meyer said the decision to euthanize the animals was made for humanitarian reasons.

"This is not a nice decision but we are just prolonging their agony," Meyer said. "The animals that have been saved are beaching themselves further along the coast."

The whales' plight attracted hundreds of onlookers, the newspaper said.

"We have tried everything but they just make a U-turn and keep re-beaching themselves," Wally Peterson, project manager for the Kommetjie Environmental Awareness group, told The Independent Online.

Two volunteers were injured in the rescue attempt and a third was rescued after being swept out to sea, Ian Klopper of the institute said.

Nan Rice of the Dolphin Action and Protection Group said it's not unusual for whales to beach themselves.

"We don't really know why it happens. It just does," she said.