Dozens of beachgoers and lifeguards battled to help a pod of pilot whales back into deeper waters after coming too close to the shore of the US state of Georgia earlier this week, although the authorities said that three of the animals had died. Around 50 short-finned pilot whales were spotted in the shallow waters off St. Simons Island on Tuesday, the Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said in a statement. Nine pilot whales — a species of oceanic dolphin that grows to seven meters and can weigh up to three tons — stranded themselves in the surf and while rescuers were able to push six back into deeper water, three perished, the DNR said.

Video of beachgoers rescuing whales goes viral. (2019, July 20). The Philippine Star, p. 12.