The nearly 50 remaining long-finned pilot whales that beached themselves on a southwestern Australian coast were euthanized Wednesday, despite days of attempted rescue efforts.

Nearly 100 pilot whales were left stranded on the beach Tuesday and volunteers worked frantically to attempt to rescue them, but about 50 had died by the end of the day. Rescue efforts resumed Wednesday, but after these efforts failed, the Western Australia Parks and Wildlife Service said in a statement that the remaining 45 were euthanized Wednesday.

"Sadly, the decision had to be made to euthanize the remaining whales to avoid prolonging their suffering," the Western Australia Parks and Wildlife Service said.

It added: "It was a difficult decision for all involved, however the welfare of the whales had to take precedence."

NEARLY 100 WHALES LEFT STRANDED ON AUSTRALIAN BEACH IN STRANGE PHENOMENON: 'UTTERLY HEARTBREAKING'

Some 250 volunteers and another 100 wildlife officers, consisting of Perth Zoo veterinarians and marine fauna experts, assisted in the effort to move the whales back into the water. By Wednesday afternoon, a storm lashed the beach with wind and rain, endangering the volunteers.

Peter Hartley, a manager of the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions who oversaw the response, said Thursday the decision to euthanize the surviving whales was "incredibly hard."

"Probably one of the hardest decisions of my 34 years of wildlife management. Really, really difficult," Hartley told reporters in Albany.

Hartley added: "It was a considered and well thought out decision. And you know, we thank the support of the ... veterinarians that assisted with the assessments and the advice that they gave me to make that decision."

Two volunteers were treated by paramedics for hypothermia, Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

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The Western Australia Parks and Wildlife Service thanked the officials and volunteers for their efforts.

Wildlife experts are not sure why beaching occurs, but said stress, illness, or even the presence of predators could help explain the phenomenon.

The current beached pod of whales was first spotted Tuesday morning swimming off the coast of Albany. As the day progressed, the pod moved closer to the beach, sparking concern of conservation officers. By 4 p.m., the pod covered the shoreline.

Pilot whales are highly social animals who often maintain close relationships with their pods, so even after getting the whales back into the water volunteers still have to encourage the worried whales to swim away.

In September 2022, some 200 pilot whales died after a pod stranded itself on the Australian state of Tasmania, an island located off Australia's southeastern coast.

The following month, nearly 500 pilot whales died after stranding themselves in New Zealand.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A former nurse at a women's prison in Oregon was found guilty by a federal jury of sexually assaulting nine female inmates.

Tony Daniel Klein, 38, of Clackamas County, was convicted of 17 counts of depriving women of their constitutional right not to be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment by sexual assault, the Department of Justice said in a news release Tuesday.

"Tony Klein used his position of authority to prey on women in custody who were in a uniquely vulnerable position," said Natalie Wight, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. "He further led his victims to believe they had no power to resist or report his abuse."

Klein was also convicted on four counts of perjury.

WOMEN ALLEGEDLY ASSAULTED BY NURSE WHILE UNCONSCIOUS IN ICU FILE LAWSUIT AGAINST HOSPITAL

Court documents showed that Klein worked as a nurse at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville, Oregon, from 2010 to January 2018, the DOJ said. During his tenure, Klein interacted regularly with female inmates who needed medical attention or who worked as orderlies in the prison's medical unit.

During the two-week trial, 17 women testified that Klein touched them inappropriately during medical appointments or as they cleaned the prison infirmary – some of them adding that he forced them to have sex. Other women said they were afraid of disciplinary actions if they refused his advances.

Klein used his "position of power" as a medical provider to regularly "manufacture[d] reasons" to be alone with female inmates in areas like medical rooms, janitor’s closets or behind privacy curtains, the DOJ said. 

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According to the DOJ, many of Klein's victims feared punishment if they fought back against or reported his conduct because he "made it clear" that no one would believe their claims.

"No woman held inside a jail or prison should be subject to sexual assault at the hands of the officials who work there," said Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. "Abuses of power and authority, like this, where the defendant took advantage of his position as a medical professional to satisfy his own sexual desires, will not be tolerated, and justice will be pursued."

Klein, who has denied sexually assaulting anyone, did not testify during the trial. He faces the possibility of life in prison when sentenced in October.

His attorneys, Amanda Alvarez Thibeault and Matthew McHenry, suggested he was the victim of a plot by women in custody to get financial settlements from the state. 

After the verdict, they reiterated that they believe he is innocent.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.