Three pilot whales are dead after dozens rushed the St. Simons Island shoreline on Tuesday.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says about half a dozen of the animals were stuck in very shallow waters, while the pod of about 50 pilot whales swam dangerously close to shore.
STORY: Video shows dozens of Pilot whales beached on St. Simons Island
Several people jumped into action to help save the animals. Michael Dolinger was one of them.
“We just kind of walked along the water’s edge for a good ways until we got them out,” he said. “Finally, they got free.”
The DNR says the fast acting beachgoers may have saved the lives of the healthy pilot whales that were stuck.
DNR investigators are now trying to unravel the mystery of why the animals swam towards the beach.
Marine biologist with the DNR, Clay George, says it’s an extremely rare occurrence, and they may find out why it happened weeks from now when the animals’ necropsies are complete.
“We look for things like plastics in their stomachs, evidence of ingesting fishing gear, evidence of having been exposed to loud acoustic noises like bombs or sonar,” he said.
Photos: Dozens of whales found close to shore in St. Simons Island
George tells us pilot whales, which are in the dolphin family, are very social animals and develop strong bonds over the course of their lifespans that can reach up to 50 years.
He says that may explain why the rest of the pod was spotted in shallow waters near the beached animals.
“They’re so social that if one animal gets injured or sick, all the other animals in the group can follow them great distances into shore,” he said.
Many speculated a shark attack may have been to blame from the animals being stranded on the beach.
Action News Jax obtained several pictures showing one of the animals with large bite marks on its body. Despite these pictures, George tells us there’s no evidence a shark attack was the reason the pod strayed away from home.
“That animal ended up on the beach this morning,” he said. “It likely floated around deceased in the water where it was scavenged by sharks. We don’t anticipate at this point that that was the cause of its death.”
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He says their natural habitat is about 100 miles or more from shore, closer to the continental shelf.
George tells us Brunswick Harbor pilots found the pod in the Brunswick Shipping Channel this morning, and the National Marine Mammal Foundation went onto the water to track the pod.
As of this afternoon’s briefing with George, the animals were about six miles out from shore. Investigators hope they’ll keep moving toward deeper waters.
Beachgoers say it’s something they won’t forget anytime soon, and they’re experiencing a mix of emotions.
“It was interesting to see,” said beachgoer Avery Carter. “But it was definitely very sad.”
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