Tragedy as nearly 100 whales are left stranded after washing up on a New Zealand beach

Dozens of whales have washed up dead off the coast of New Zealand in the fifth stranding in less than a week. 
The pod of about 90 whales washed ashore on the remote Chatham Islands, 800km east of the South Island - but more than half were found dead unable to escape. 
One of the whales was in such bad shape that rangers were forced to euthanize him on arrival.

Department of Conservation manager Dave Carlton said killing the whale was 'the most humane thing to do', as they investigate the cause of a recent spate of strandings. 

The reason whales and dolphins strand is not fully understood but theories include sickness, navigational error, geographical features, the presence of predators, and extreme weather.

DailyMailUk