Two more whales stranded; one dies

One melon-headed whale died and another was rescued and released into the sea after being stranded in shallow water in Wenling, Taizhou, Zhejiang province, on Sunday.

Local authorities and civil rescue teams attempted to save the pair after they were found at around noon. One died at about 1:30 pm.

At 5:45 pm, the other whale was moved to the shore, picked up by a crane and taken to a port 12 kilometers away. At around 7:30 pm, it was released back into the sea.

Previously, on July 6, 12 melon-headed whales — a Level II protected species in China — were stranded in the shallow water of a shoal in Linhai, Taizhou. As of Sunday, six of those had been released into the sea, but five died. One, which is not in good health, is being kept at a fish farm in Linhai.

Sources in the Linhai information office said experts measured the two whales in Wenling and believed they were not part of the Linhai group. The two are about a half-meter longer than the ones stranded in Linhai, the source said.