Hundreds of whales stranded in Australia

350 pilot whales have died on the coast of Tasmania, Australia, after a huge whale stranding last week.

470 pilot whales beached themselves on the Tasmanian coastline. It is the worst whale stranding in Australia's history and one of the largest ever globally.

A team of 60 conservationists and volunteers has been trying to rescue the animals for several days.

Pilot whales can grow to reach 6 metres in length and one tonne in weight. These highly social animals stay in groups, called pods, for life.

Some of the rescued whales became stranded again when they attempted to rejoin their beached families.

The rescue team has managed to rescue 109 whales and guide them back out to sea.

Conservationists now need to remove the remains of the 350 dead whales to protect the environment. They also hope this will prevent the rescued whales from returning.

It is still not known why whales become stranded.

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