More than 30 pilot whales that stranded themselves on a beach in New Zealand were safely returned to the ocean after conservation workers and residents helped to refloat them by lifting them on sheets. Four of the pilot whales died, New Zealand’s conservation agency said.

New Zealand is a whale stranding hotspot and pilot whales are especially prolific stranders.

A team was monitoring Ruakākā Beach near the city of Whangārei in New Zealand’s north on Monday to ensure there were no signs of the whales saved Sunday stranding again, the Department of Conservation told The Associated Press. The agency praised as “incredible” the efforts made by hundreds of people to help save the foundering pod.

“It’s amazing to witness the genuine care and compassion people have shown toward these magnificent animals,” Joel Lauterbach, a Department of Conservation spokesperson, said in a statement. “This response demonstrates the deep connection we all share with our marine environment.”

The agency released images of the rescue effort on social media.

A Māori cultural ceremony for the three adult whales and one calf that died in the stranding took place on Monday. New Zealand’s Indigenous people consider whales a taonga – a sacred treasure – of cultural significance.

New Zealand has recorded more than 5,000 whale strandings since 1840. The largest pilot whale stranding was of an estimated 1,000 whales at the Chatham Islands in 1918, according to the Department of Conservation.

It’s often not clear why strandings happen but the island nation’s geography is believed to be a factor. Both the North and South Islands feature stretches of protruding coastline with shallow, sloping beaches that can confuse species such as pilot whales – which rely on echolocation to navigate.

Mass strandings of pilot whales have happened elsewhere in recent months.

In July,  77 long-finned pilot whales were found washed ashore off the northeast coast of Scotland, 65 of them already dead. The 12 whales that initially survived the mass stranding had to be euthanized.

In April, a mass stranding of long-finned pilot whales in southwestern Australia led to the deaths of 29 of the beached creatures, but about 100 of the whales were rescued and redirected out to sea.

Last year, nearly 100 pilot whales became stranded on a beach in Western Australia, but after a rescue attempt, they all died. 

Pilot whales are a large species of dolphin, with individuals usually measuring between 19 and 25 feet in length and weighing between 2,900 and 5,000 pounds, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A pilot whale’s typical lifespan is anywhere from 35 to 60 years, although their survival is threatened by several factors including chemical contaminants, disease, entanglement in fishing gear and ocean noise. They tend to travel in dense pods, and much of what is known about the species and their behaviors has come out of other mass strandings. 

contributed to this report.

A Buddhist monastery in Thailand is under investigation after authorities discovered more than 40 bodies on site which were allegedly used for meditation practices, police said Sunday.

Forty-one cadavers were found at Pa Nakhon Chaibovorn monastery in Thailand’s Phichit province on Saturday, a senior police officer told AFP.

“The bodies were accompanied with death and body donation certificates,” he said, adding that so far no charges have been filed.

He said police were reaching out to relatives of the deceased to confirm that the bodies were donated willingly.

“We are trying to make sure that none of the dead bodies were stolen,” said the officer who requested anonymity.

The search came days after police discovered 12 bodies at another monastery in neighboring Kamphaeng Phet province on Wednesday, according to Thai local media.

The head of the Phichit province monastery, Phra Ajarn Saifon Phandito, told Thai PBS television channel that the use of corpses was part of a “meditation technique” he developed.

“Many of the people who come to learn are abbots and all these monks… pass on the knowledge,” he said. “I don’t know how many have adopted my technique.”

He also told another local TV station that “practitioners meditate in pavilions that hold coffins with the human remains.”

Kom Pattarakulprasert, director of the Phichit Office of Buddhism, told the Bangkok Post that the inclusion of bodies in meditation was unusual.

“I asked Phra Ajarn Saifon Phandito if there were any cadavers and was told that there were none,” Kom told the outlet. “But when journalists discovered the 41 bodies, I was taken aback by the conflicting stories. I will discuss whether this practice is appropriate with the local head of the clergy.”

Phichit police said they are working with authorities in other provinces to investigate how widespread this practice is.

Charlotte, N.C. — Service workers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport have gone on strike during a busy week of Thanksgiving travel to protest what they say are unlivable wages.

Employees of ABM and Prospect Airport Services cast ballots Friday to authorize the work stoppage in North Carolina, which a spokesperson said began Monday morning.

Officials with Service Employees International Union announced the impending strike in a statement early Monday, saying the workers would demand “an end to poverty wages and respect on the job during the holiday travel season.”

ABM and Prospect Airport Services contract with American Airlines to provide services including cleaning airplane interiors, removing trash and escorting passengers in wheelchairs.

Workers say they previously raised the alarm about their growing inability to afford basic necessities, including food and housing. They described living paycheck to paycheck, unable to cover expenses like car repairs while performing jobs that keep countless planes running on schedule.

“We’re on strike today because this is our last resort. We can’t keep living like this,” ABM cabin cleaner Priscilla Hoyle said in a statement. “We’re taking action because our families can’t survive.”

Several hundred workers were expected to walk off the job and continue the work stoppage throughout Monday.

Most of them earn between $12.50 and $19 an hour, which is well below the living wage for a single person with no children in the Charlotte area, union officials said.

Charlotte Douglas International Airport officials have said this holiday travel season is expected to be the busiest on record, with an estimated 1.02 million passengers departing the airport between last Thursday and the Monday after Thanksgiving.

In addition to walking off the job, striking workers plan to hold an 11 a.m. rally and a 1 p.m. “‘Strikesgiving’ lunch” in place of the Thanksgiving meal that many of the workers won’t be able to afford later this week, union officials said.

“Airport service workers make holiday travel possible by keeping airports safe, clean, and running,” the union said. “Despite their critical role in the profits that major corporations enjoy, many airport service workers must work two to three jobs to make ends meet.”

ABM said it would take steps to minimize disruptions from any demonstrations.

“At ABM, we appreciate the hard work our team members put in every day to support our clients and help keep spaces clean and people healthy,” the company said in a statement last week.

Prospect Airport Services said last week that the company recognizes the seriousness of the potential for a strike during the busy holiday travel season.