Once-stranded pilot whales get second chance at freedom

OFF THE FLORIDA KEYS -- Five pilot whales, nursed to health by human rescuers, were released Sunday into the Atlantic Ocean nearly four months after they stranded themselves in shallow water off the Florida Keys.

It is extremely rare for rehabilitated whales to be released into the ocean, and Sunday was the first time that five whales stranded at once have been released simultaneously in the United States, experts said.

"Walt Disney couldn't write a story better than this," said Rick Trout, director of animal care at the Marine Mammal Conservancy.

Using a crane, a team of volunteers and marine experts began working before dawn to coax each of the whales onto a sling at their holding lagoon and then lift them, one at a time, onto boats for the 12-mile trip.

Once at the continental shelf, where pilot whales frequently swim, the five were lowered head first into the water. As the whales swam away, dozens of people who had accompanied them on the boats cheered.

"We all cried," said Denise Jackson, stranding coordinator for the Florida Keys Marine Mammal Rescue Team. "You feel relieved they all made it out there. It's successful, it's great. But it's a very mixed emotion."

The whales were later spotted by a helicopter swimming together. Marine officials hoped they would join a nearby pod of pilot whales spotted 27 miles offshore.

'No guarantees'

"There are no guarantees for any of them, but we feel we got them as close as we're going to," said Roy Crabtree, regional administrator for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries.

The released whales were among a group of 28 that became stranded in shallow water April 18 in the Florida Keys. It's not known why they became stranded, but marine experts say some showed signs of old age. Eight died, six were euthanized and nine were able to swim away.

The five remaining whales -- four adult females and one yearling male -- were taken to a natural lagoon, where they recovered under the 24-hour care of about 1,000 volunteers who hand-fed them fish and held some in the water until they were strong enough to swim, said Becky Arnold, director of the Florida Keys Marine Mammal Rescue Team.

The whales remained at the lagoon until blood tests showed they were healthy enough to return to the ocean.

Tagged

Before their release Sunday, each whale's dorsal fin was tagged with a tracking device, about the size of the palm of a hand, to allow experts to monitor their progress.

They will be followed for two weeks by ships while their behavior is monitored. Any whale that does not thrive within 24 hours will likely be recaptured, Crabtree said. The boats are equipped to capture the whales and return them to shore.

The whales will also be tracked for about eight months by satellite to collect scientific data before the tags falls off.