Stranded Whales by Addison Jordan

Summary: A group of 51 short-finned pilot whales were on found on the shores of Florida Everglades National Park on Thursday.  After 11 of them died, the remaining whales moved to slightly deeper water.  5 of the whales were missing, even after the Coast Guard searched for them from the air.  The wildlife officials also weren’t sure how long the group of whales had been stranded at the park and they don’t know why they were there.

            Rescuers used approximately 15 boats to herd the whales in the right direction.  Wildlife officials weren’t sure that the remaining 35 would make it to back to deeper waters because they still had miles to go, according to Blair Mase, a marine mammal scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

            The whales are very communal and stay together, and the fact that the remaining group moved away from shore overnight could help their chances of survival. Some of the remaining whales are not in good condition and the rescuers main concern is getting them back to open waters in the Gulf of Mexico.

Analysis: Whales are already becoming extinct because humans are hunting them down, so we need to do all that we can to save the ones that we have left. I am glad they were found and I really hope that they make it back to open waters. It is sad to hear this because there isn’t much you can do about the situation.

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