"Sign of hope for stranded whales off Florida's Everlgades" By: McKay Fugate

          Everglades National Park, Florida (CNN) -- Dozens of short-finned pilot whales moved Thursday to slightly deeper water off Florida's Everglades National Park, raising hope a day after the mass stranding saw 11 of the mammals die. Wildlife officials were cautiously optimistic that the 35 remaining whales would make it into deep open waters but warned that the mammals still had miles to go, said Blair Mase, a marine mammal scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Calling it a "very fluid situation," scientists continue to monitor the whales, Mase said. The whales were in about 18 feet of water and were moving offshore, she said.Wildlife officials are unsure how long the pod of whales has been stranded or why. Fishermen spotted the pod of 51 whales, several of which had beached themselves, on Tuesday night in a remote area accessible only by boat off the west coast of the Everglades, park spokeswoman Linda Friar said. Eleven of the whales have died, including four found in "poor condition" and euthanized, and five more went missing overnight, according to Mase.
The Coast Guard conducted an aerial search for the missing five but have been unable to locate them. It's possible the whales have died, Mase said.

          This was so sad to hear about. It is tragic to hear of helpless animals stranded without help. Luckily, these fishermen did find them, but not quite in time to help the eleven that had already died or died shortly thereafter. I think this is a good reminder to take care of what we send into our oceans. I know that these whales were simply beached, but oftentimes its due to less natural causes. We need to protect animals such as these whales and do all we can to prevent accidents like this in the future.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/05/us/florida-everglades-whales-trapped/index.html?hpt=us_c2