Nearly 100 pilot whales have died after becoming stranded on New Zealand's Chatham Islands, officials have said. Great white sharks were believed to be stalking the rough sea waters as 97 of the toothed wales and three dolphins died after getting stuck at Waitangi West Beach on Wednesday.
The Department of Conservation became aware of the mass stranding around midday but a power cut and the remote location meant rangers didn't arrive on site for three hours.
The islands sit 800km east off New Zealand's South Island, with mass strandings common. Biodiversity ranger Jemma Welch said 26 of the whales - which can live in groups of anywhere from dozens to thousands - were still alive. "The majority of them appearing very weak, and were
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