Tasmania

A 'de-extinction' firm plans to also bring back the Tasmanian wolf and woolly mammoth

About 230 whales have been stranded on Tasmania's west coast, just days after 14 sperm whales were found beached on an island off the southeastern coast. The pod, which is stranded on Ocean Beach, appear to be pilot whales and at least half are presumed to still be alive, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania said on Wednesday. A team from the Marine Conservation Programme was assembling whale rescue gear and heading to the area, the department said. A resident told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. the whales were visible near the entrance to Macquarie Harbour and described the stranding as a massive event". David Midson, general manager of the West Coast Council, urged people to stay clear. Whales are a protected species, even once deceased, and it is an offence to interfere with a carcass, the environment department said. Griffith University marine scientist Olaf Meynecke said it's unusual for sperm whales to wash ashore. He said that warmer temperatures

Premier Hodgman said that there were growth opportunities for Tasmania in India, which accounts for 3 per cent of the state's total exports