News by Levels · Level 2 · Student worksheet

Rescuers Try to Save Stranded Pilot Whales at Ngawi

In this lesson: Follow the rescue sequence and recognise that refloating did not mean survival.

Name: __________________________ Date: __________________

Read the story

Pilot whales were found stranded among rocks on the Ngawi coast of New Zealand’s North Island on November 5. The site is near Cape Palliser.

Conservation staff, the rescue group Project Jonah and local people worked to keep the surviving animals cool and wet. Two whales were helped back into the sea during high tide.

Euronews reported that the last four survivors later died, including the two returned to the water. Estimates of how many whales came ashore varied, and the cause of the stranding remains unknown.

Source: Euronews, 2026-11-05. https://www.euronews.com/video/2026/11/05/new-zealand-dead-whales-found-as-rescuers-battle-mass-stranding

Read and practise

1. What happened to the two whales returned to the sea?

   1. They were not mentioned again
   2. They were among the last four survivors that later died
   3. Both were later confirmed safe

2. When were two whales helped back into the sea?

   1. After the last four survivors had died
   2. Before rescue workers arrived
   3. During high tide

Your turn

Explain how people helped the whales at high tide and what Euronews later reported about those animals.

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Read online: https://newsbylevels.com/news/ngawi-pilot-whale-stranding-rescue-november-2026/level-2/