Over 100 pilot whales beached on Australian coast rescued
Melbourne, April 25: More than 100 long-finned pilot whales that beached on the western Australian coast Thursday have returned to sea, while 29 died on the shore, officials said.
Ships and a spotter plane were monitoring the rescued whales in case they returned to shore, the Parks and Wildlife Service of Western Australia state regional wildlife officer Pia Courtis said.
“So far so good, they haven’t made it back to shore, but we will keep monitoring them,” Courtis told reporters.
Local whale researcher Ian Wiese joined hundreds of volunteers who helped rescue the whales at Toby’s Inlet near the tourist town of Dunsborough.
“When I first arrived, there was, I think, 160 in the water – almost out of the water – and there were a couple of hundred people who were with the whales, they were trying to comfort them and make sure that their heads were out of the water so they could breathe. And then after an hour or so, all of a sudden the ones that were in the water that were still alive left and went out to sea,” Wiese said.
“They may well decide to come back to shore somewhere on another beach nearby or something – that often happens, but we’re hopeful that they won’t,” Wiese added.
A team of wildlife officers, marine scientists and veterinarians had earlier reached the scene and reported 26 dead among up to 160 stranded.
Wiese said he earlier thought 31 whales had died, but the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions later said the final death toll was 29.
In July, almost 100 long-finned pilot whales died or were euthanized after a two-day rescue attempt in a mass stranding on Cheynes Beach near the former whaling station of Albany, 355 kilometers (220 miles) southeast of Dunsborough.
Dunsborough is 285 kilometers (177 miles) by road south of Perth, Western Australia state’s capital and largest city.
Based on previous strandings, including the 2023 Cheynes Beach event, euthanizing the beached whales is usually the most humane outcome, the department said in a statement. (AP)
Inmates break free from Nigerian prison after rains
Abuja, April 25: More than 100 inmates have escaped from a prison in Nigeria near the capital city of Abuja after overnight heavy rains destroyed parts of the facility, a prison official said Thursday, as security agencies searched for the fleeing prisoners.
The downpour, which lasted for several hours on Wednesday night, destroyed the perimeter fence of the medium-security prison in the neighbouring town of Suleja, in Niger state, “giving way to the escape of a total of 118 inmates from the facility,” according to Adamu Duza, a prisons spokesman.
The prison service and other agencies have managed to recapture 10 of the escaped inmates while the search is on to find the rest, Duza said.
There are fears that they could find their way into the vast forests that connect Suleja town and neighbouring states, some of which are known hideouts for criminal gangs.
In addition to being overcrowded with 70% of the inmates still awaiting trial, most prisons in Nigeria are old, having been built during the colonial era before the West African nation’s independence from Britain in 1960.
The structures are rarely renovated, which has made it easier for inmates to escape during past jailbreaks. Thousands of inmates have escaped from prisons during such jailbreaks, including Abuja where nearly 900 inmates broke free in 2022.
The authorities are making efforts to rebuild the structures and modernise the ageing facilities, Duza said. (AP)
Two runaway UK military horses undergo surgery
London, April 25: Two of the four riderless horses that bolted during a routine exercise causing mayhem on the streets of central London have undergone surgery but are expected to return to duty in due course, the British Army said in a statement on Thursday.
Scenes of a blood-covered horse galloping alongside another along Aldwych near the High Commission of India and the West End theatre district were shared widely on social media on Wednesday after the horses collided with cars and smashed into a tourist bus.
The Army said three soldiers injured when they were unseated from their horses are on the road to recovery as they named the four runaway horses from the Household Cavalry.
“Of the seven horses which were spooked, five tried to bolt and four – Vida, Trojan, Quaker and Tennyson – broke loose. Two of the injured horses were operated on last night, with one transferred to an equine hospital. All remaining horses are being closely observed,” the Army statement said.
“Our horses receive the highest standards of care, and those that did not undergo surgery are expected to return to duty in due course. We want to thank everyone who has shown such kindness and concern towards our soldiers and horses. We will provide more updates soon,” it said.
Quaker is the horse still in hospital, according to the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Earlier, the Household Cavalry said the horses undergo regular “routine exercise” to get them used to loud city traffic sounds so they are well trained for major military parades and it was during one such exercise in the Belgravia area near Buckingham Palace on Wednesday morning that a few of them were spooked by builders dropping rubble from a height “right next to them”. (PTI)