Two of seven surviving pilot whales stranded in the Lower Keys released

The whales came from a pod of more than 20 of the marine mammals who were stranded. Necropsies are being performed on the dead whales.

 

CUDJOE KEY -- Two “robust” adult male pilot whales are back where they belong – in the deep ocean.

Late Saturday afternoon, the large marine mammals — which were among a pod of at least 21 that had stranded two days earlier — were slowly transported by barge from a makeshift sea pen off Cudjoe Key to waters 530 feet deep in the Atlantic Ocean.

Nine miles offshore, they were released.

“It was just amazing,” said Suzy Roebling, a staffer with the non-profit Marine Mammal Conservancy in Key Largo.

With a bird’s-eye view from the seat of the barge’s crane, Roebling watched as “Big Boy No. 400” was first to be put into the ocean. But instead of swimming away, he just seemed to float.

“He had his eye looking at his buddy,” she said.

About 30 seconds later, the other smaller whale was put into the ocean. The two got side-by-side, touching each other. Then, they swam away — together.

Cheers erupted from the marine professionals and volunteers on the barge. The whales, between 12 and 13 feet long and well over 1,000 pounds, could be seen surfacing in the distance, and then disappearing into the waters again.

But their movements won’t be a secret, at least not for the next two to three months. Before they were released, satellite tracking devices were inserted into their dorsal fins.

The release came less than 48 hours after the discovery of the first mass stranding of pilot whales in the Florida Keys since 2003.

It took an even more massive, around-the-clock rescue effort from several federal and state agencies, as well as SeaWorld, other private organizations and an army of volunteers.

The release boosted the spirits of the responders, who had to deal with the deaths of 14 whales, including one lifeless body brought to shore as news of the successful release was announced.

Necropsies were being conducted to help to determine what caused the stranding. The answer may never be known.

But the successes are what keep people volunteering to help, including Reen Stanhouse, who had spent more than eight hours in the waist-deep water of a makeshift sea pen over the past two days comforting and holding the distressed creatures.

“I feel like it’s the least man can do, since we’ve destroyed so many of them,” she said.

Now the effort continues to save the remaining five survivors, one male and four females.

They “are not ready to go anywhere,” said Dr. Christopher Dold, vice president of veterinary services at SeaWorld.

Two are particularly in bad shape. “One has pretty severe pneumonia and the other is developing pneumonia,” Marathon veterinarian Doug Mader said.

The lone calf, which one volunteer nicknamed Emily, is doing well.

The remaining survivors were being kept Saturday night at the sea pen set up at the end of Blimp Road. When it is deemed safe enough to transport them, they will be relocated to the Marine Mammal Conservancy for further rehabilitation.The goal is to release them back into the ocean.

“Wild animals do not do well in captivity,” Mader said. “The stress makes them more prone to get sicker. So there is a fine line between getting them out as soon as you can and keeping them long enough so they are healthy enough to release.”

“Pilot whales are deep-water animals. That’s why it’s so strange to see them in near-shore waters,” said Karrie Carnes, spokeswoman for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

Carnes said no whales are released by themselves due to the species’ natural socialization.

The outlook for the two males now back in the deep is fairly good. “Best case scenario is they stay together and unite with another larger group of pilot whales out in the wild,” Dold said.

What caused this mass stranding is not known, and may never be known.

“It’s Mother Nature,” Mader said. “Are we doing the right thing by interfering? I don’t have the answer, but it is human nature to want to help.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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