WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) ---- About 140 pilot whales that stranded(...) themselves on a remote stretch of New Zealand beach have died, but conservation workers and volunteers are hoping the remaining 60 or so will survive after they managed to get them refloated, an official said Saturday. The geography of Farewell Spit on the South Island seems to work against whales, which regularly become stranded there. The stranding of 198 whales on Friday was one of the largest in recent years and inspired 80 workers and volunteers to help out. By late Saturday, 140 of the whales had died, said Department of Conservation area manager Andrew Lamason. He said the workers and volunteers worked throughout the day to keep the surviving whales watered and covered before refloating them during Saturday night's high tide. "We've had a really good crew of volunteers, and people have been wanting to come from all over the country,"Lamason said. He said the surviving whales had moved to deeper water. But he cautioned that although hopes for their survival were high, whales had been refloated in the past only to return and get stranded again. Lamason said the scale  of the stranding has been tough on the helpers, both physically and mentally. "It's very sad, they're very intelligent animals," he said. "The common view is that it's part of nature." The focus will now turn to the dead whales, and the enormous task of dealing with the remains, Lamason said, adding that in the past helpers have typically buried them in the sand, but that he's not sure what the approach will be this time. He said the department had been experimenting with moving the the dead whales into the water, which has the advantage of providing food for other sea creatures. How will the volunteers deal with the dead whales this time according to Lamason?
They will bury them in the sand. They will throw them into the ocean. They do not have any exact idea yet. They will feed them to other sea creatures.