Pilot whale

Up to 145 pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in a remote part of New Zealand, with authorities saying Monday they made the "heart-breaking" decision to euthanise dozens that lay stricken on the shore, reports AFP. 

The stranding was discovered by a hiker late Saturday on Stewart Island, 30 kilometres (19 miles) off the southern coast of the South Island.

Whale rescuers were cautiously optimistic on Feb. 12 that the current wave of mass beachings in New Zealand was over, after hundreds of the creatures died after being stranded ashore.

The crisis began early Feb. 10 when a pod of 416 whales were found stranded on the 26-kilometer Farewell Spit, with hundreds more following them over the weekend.

More than 400 whales were stranded on a New Zealand beach Friday, with most of them dying quickly as frustrated volunteers desperately raced to save the survivors.

It was one of the largest mass beachings recorded in New Zealand, where strandings are relatively common, the Department of Conservation said.