Mass stranding

Hundreds of whales dead after mass stranding in New Zealand

Desperate efforts are underway to save dozens of pilot whales still alive after hundreds stranded themselves on a New Zealand beach, in the third largest mass stranding in the country's history.

At least 250 whales were already dead of 400 found beached on Farewell Spit in Golden Bay on the tip of the South Island Friday, the Department of Conservation said in a statement.

Rescuers attempted to refloat more than 100 whales mid-morning, of which about 50 returned to sea.

However, another 80 to 90 whales who were freed re-stranded themselves in the same place just five hours later, 

Volunteers swoop on site

Hundreds of locals turned out to help keep the whales cool.

"There's like two to three hundred car loads of people who have come to help, maybe three to four hundred people," Department of Conservation Community Ranger Kath Inwood.

According to Inwood, the area regularly saw beached whales and many residents were already trained in keeping the animals comfortable and helping to refloat them.    Work will stop overnight for the safety of volunteers, who could be in danger around the large, stressed animal This is a huge on

he whales were first spotted in the water late on Thursday night, by a department staffer, before being found on Farewell Spit on Friday morning

The largest whale stranding in New Zealand took place in 1918, when 1,000 whales stranded themselves on Chatham Islands.

The second largest was in Auckland in 1985, when 450 ended up on a beach.