Why??
 

Hi all you Aussies!

I'm a land-locked Colorado, USA native, but I soooo love the ocean, whales, dolphins, etc. I hadn't heard about these whale beachings prior to visiting this forum. Why on earth are these wonderful creatures beaching themselves?

Do they do this on a regular basis? In response to weather, or ???

Sorry if these are dumb questions, but like I said - I've been land-locked my whole life, but the sea just enchants me - if I believed in re-incarnation I'd swear I was a dolphin or Orca in a past life.

I don't think they really know the exact reason.

I've heard a number of theories about it over the years. Sometimes they'll beach in the same area too and it's thought that might have something to do with magnetic fields.

Sometimes if a mature whale is sick it'll beach but then it seems all the rest will follow.

If they've been out of the water too long, their body weight can cause internal injuries, so you sometimes see the saved ones going out to sea but only to return to the beach again.

Sadly I think it's a bit of a mystery. Fortunately there are lots of volunteers around the place ready to go into action.

We have so much to learn, don't we? I'm so glad there ARE all those volunteers to help.

I just saw the movie Whale Rider last week, so when I was reading your posts that scene with all the whales beached came right into my head.

I'm a little jelous at your living where you can experience these things, though.

Thanks for the education - let me know if they stay where they belong, ok?