Over 150 whales stranded on a beach on the Australian island of Tasmania earlier this week and those that haven’t already died will have to be euthanized.

The marine mammals got stuck on a beach near Arthur River, Australia, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania’s Marine Conservation Program said on Facebook, with only 90 of 157 still alive when officials posted on Wednesday.

Local resident Jocelyn Flint told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation at the scene that “there are babies, there’s all sorts. It’s just absolutely horrific. They’re all struggling. They’re looking at me and I just can’t help them.”

The species in question are false killer whales, according to the Associated Press. It was the first mass stranding by the species in Tasmania since 1974.

Later in the day Wednesday, the Marine Conservation Program put out an update, noting that attempts to relocate and refloat two of the whales were unsuccessful with the animals continuing to re-strand themselves.

“This is possibly the trickiest location I’ve seen in 16 years of doing this in Tasmania. It is extremely remote, extremely difficult to get access. We’ve given it a good crack this morning, but we are running out of options for a successful refloat,” Kris Carlyon, a biologist with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania, told The Mercury.

With ocean conditions projected to stay the same in the coming days, officials decided the 90 remaining animals had to be put down to put an end to their suffering.

“Following expert wildlife veterinarian assessments, we have decided euthanasia will be required for animal welfare reasons,” officials wrote on Facebook.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.