ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A pilot whale is back in the sea after an extensive rehabilitation at SeaWorld Orlando.
Officials at SeaWorld said in a news release that the short-finned, 725-pound (328 kilogram) whale was released Tuesday 140 miles (225 kilometers) off Florida’s west coast.
The whale beached herself July 1 in Dixie County in north Florida. Rescue teams from the University of Florida and the Clearwater Marine Aquarium assisted the whale and took her to SeaWorld.
SeaWorld officials say the whale responded quickly to care and a plan was created to return her to the water near a pilot whale habitat. The U.S. Coast Guard assisted in transporting the whale, nicknamed Gale, on the Cutter Joshua Appleby.
The whale was tagged with a satellite-linked transmitter which will allow researchers to follow her movements.
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