Volunteers rescue whale stranded in the Keys
ISLAMORADA, Fla. (WSVN) -- A whale that stranded itself on a shallow bank just off of Islamorada was rescued and taken for examination before it is released to open waters again.
Several volunteers from the Marine Mammal Conservatory (MMC) and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) arrived on the scene later Friday morning, near a pier, trying to help the stranded animal.
The whale is situated on the ocean side of the Upper Keys, near Milemarker 75. Authorities on the scene described the whale as being about 12 to 14 feet in length and weighed about 1,500 pounds. Officials think think it may be a member of the beaked whale family. Beaked whales are not indigenous to these waters.
Someone discovered it in the early morning hours and called the MMC. They arrived on scene and attended to it. They reported that the whale had no signs of trauma and was is stable but guarded condition. "You always want to go fishing and have some fun, next thing you know, we're hauling whales down the road," said someone that helped attend to the whale.
Volunteers loaded the whale on a box truck and took it to their conservancy to stabilize the animal, before letting it swim on its own.
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