Youngest of 5 rescued whales wounded in attack by shark
By Associated Press
Published August 20, 2003
FORT PIERCE - The youngest of five pilot whales released off the Florida Keys has been bitten by at least one shark and experts are attempting to rescue the mammal, officials said Tuesday.
Officials were on a vessel tracking the infant male whale 3 miles southeast of Fort Pierce when they noticed two small wounds on it early Tuesday afternoon. As they moved in to rescue it, they witnessed a large bull shark attack the whale, known as number seven.
The whale dove and was not seen resurfacing, said Blair Mase, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service regional stranding coordinator.
The vessel remained in the area waiting for the whale to resurface in hopes it could be retrieved and brought to shore, she said.
If recovered, the whale would be transported to the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, which has a sterile marine mammal tank, Mase said.
The baby whale survived an April 18 stranding off the Keys and was released with four older survivors about 14 miles south of Big Pine Key on Aug. 10.
Experts were hoping the infant would team with at least one of the older whales, but it did not. Baby pilot whales usually learn survival skills from their mothers, who also protect them from predators.
Until Tuesday, number seven seemed strong, and officials were cautiously optimistic about its chances for survival.
Experts have been tracking four of the whales with position signals received from a satellite transponder attached to their dorsal fins before release. A fifth whale was not fitted with a transponder.
