Summary: Hordes of rescuers from the Department of Conservation rushed to push huge animals back into the water. Friday, February 13th, nearly 200 pilot whales were stranded on New Zealand's South Island. At least two dozen of the whales didn't make it, and 80 people came to the beach near the Farewell Spit to begin moving the surviving whales into the water. The shallow waters in the South Island's northwest corner are especially dangerous for these whales, where it is difficult to navigate. Scientists believe that a pod typically gets stranded when a pilot whale gets stuck, because they stay in groups and make sure no one is left behind.
Analysis: This is a world issue because it's sad when a group of whales gets stuck on shore and can't make it back to the ocean. It's good that there are groups like the Department of Conservation out there to help animals. Hopefully more groups like them will form around the world to help out.
Source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/02/150213-pilot-whales-stranded-new-zealand/
It seems to me that New Zealand's south island needs to figure out a way to prevent more disastrous occurrences like this from happening in the future. I'm glad too that groups like these are there to help animals in need.
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