Six sperm whales die in South Australia

Sydney: A pod of six sperm whales washed up dead on Monday in a rare mass stranding on the South Australia coast, with animal welfare officials struggling over the logistics of handling the huge carcasses.

The whales, which can weigh up to 50 tonnes, were found at low tide by residents on Parara beach, about 150 kilometres northwest of Adelaide.

“We’re not sure why they beached,” a Department of Environment official said. “A theory is that one was ill and moved to shallow waters and then called out to fellow pod members who followed it in.”

A fisherman suggested they could have been chasing a school of salmon.