TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Eleven pygmy killer whales were found stranded Tuesday morning on a beach in Pingtung County’s Checheng Township, with seven surviving and four confirmed dead, per CNA.
Residents discovered the pod at about 7 a.m. and notified the Coast Guard, which dispatched personnel to the scene. A cordon was established to prevent onlookers from disturbing the animals or causing further injury.
Tu Chan-lung (涂展龍) of the Coast Guard’s Coastal Patrol said 26 personnel and 11 vehicles were mobilized, including police and members of the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, National Cheng Kung University’s Marine Biology and Cetacean Research Center, and the Pingtung County Government’s Agriculture Department.
Following standard procedures, rescuers wrapped the surviving whales in damp towels and kept them moist and cool with seawater. Their vital signs were monitored as specialists conducted further assessments.
The Coast Guard urged the public to follow three basic principles when encountering stranded whales or dolphins: help right the animal, keep it moist, and record its breathing and heartbeat.
The public was advised to avoid exposing the animals to wind and sun, standing too close to the head or tail, pushing or pulling them, or making loud noises. People are encouraged to report such incidents to the Coast Guard’s 118 hotline.
Pygmy killer whales are the smallest cetacean species with “whale” in their name. Males and females are similar in size and are primarily distributed in tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide.
They typically inhabit deep waters and rarely approach shore, and little is known about their habitat preferences. Aside from a resident population in Hawaiian waters, sightings are uncommon in many regions.
The Ocean Conservation Administration said several pygmy killer whale strandings have occurred in southwestern Taiwan during the spring in recent years, though the causes remain unclear. The agency said the species is occasionally sighted off Yilan, Hualien, and Taitung, along with waters near Guishan Island, Green Island, and Lanyu.
