477 Whales Die In 'Heartbreaking' New Zealand Strandings

The whales beached on the Chatham Islands, which are home to about 600 people and located about 500 miles east of New Zealand's main island.

Some 477 pilot whales have died after stranding themselves on two remote New Zealand beaches over recent days, officials say.

None of the stranded whales could be refloated and all either died naturally or were euthanized in a “heartbreaking” loss, said Daren Grover, the general manager of Project Jonah, a nonprofit group that helps rescue whales.

The whales beached themselves on the Chatham Islands, which are home to about 600 people and located about 500 miles east of New Zealand's main islands.