One of the 14 dead sperm whales washed up on a beach on King Island, north of Tasmania, Australia, on Tuesday, September 20, 2022.

More than a dozen whales have died and washed ashore on the beaches of King Island, north of Tasmania, leaving wildlife experts shaking their heads.

The bodies were first reported by locals on Monday afternoon, Tasmania’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment revealed.

Parks and Wildlife Service personnel are on site monitoring the situation. No exact reason has been given for the firing event, which is currently being investigated by marine scientists.

“Members of the public are reminded that it is an offense to interfere with protected wildlife, including being in possession of parts of a dead whale, and are asked to keep their distance.

“We just don’t know why this is happening,” wildlife scientist Vanessa Pirotta told ABC. “That’s the million-dollar question every time this type of event occurs.”

“There could be something else that dragged them to the area, we just don’t know.

“But the key here is that any stranding can contribute to science.

The stranding comes almost exactly two years after 470 whales washed up off Tasmania’s western coast, marking the country’s largest ever mission.

Most of the whales were discovered in LiƄerty Bay.

Geѕсᴜe’s teams managed to free 25 of the 270 whales stranded in sandals off Strahan, but a small number attempted to return to their pods and reach them on their own.

Despite valiant efforts, more than a third of the pilot whales died before rescuers could reach them.