Local

Rescuers work to free whales stranded on Cape Cod

CHATHAM, Mass. — Rescuers worked to free five whales stranded on a Cape Cod beach Saturday.

The pilot whales were beached on a sandbar in the southern part of Chatham Harbor, across from the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge, according to Brian Sharp, director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s Marine Mammal Rescue and Research team.

A spokesperson for the IFAW said as of Saturday night, one whale had died and the others were able to refloat. The hope is that they are able to swim out to deeper ocean overnight.

The IFAW will send scouts back to Chatham early Sunday to check the whales’ progress.

The Harbormaster’s office and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service assisted with the rescue effort.

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