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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Environment
Donna Lu

Whale strandings: what happens after they die and how do authorities safely dispose of them?

Carcasses of pilot whales beached on Macquarie Harbour, in Tasmania.
Pilot whales beached on Macquarie Harbour in Tasmania in 2020. Decomposing carcasses left onshore can pose a biohazard risk. Photograph: Department of Natural Resources/AFP/Getty Images

Two mass strandings in Tasmanian waters in a week has left about 200 pilot whales and 14 sperm whales dead.

On Monday, 14 juvenile sperm whales died and washed ashore at King Island, in Bass Strait. Approximately 230 pilot whales became stranded on Ocean Beach, west of the Tasmanian town of Strahan on Wednesday.

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