USA: Stranded pygmy sperm whale captures hearts of locals and visitors in Florida Keys as volunteers care for her around the clock

Record ID: 517559

  • Title: USA: Stranded pygmy sperm whale captures hearts of locals and visitors in Florida Keys as volunteers care for her around the clock
  • Date: 21st September 2000
  • Summary: KEY WEST, FLORIDA UNITED STATES. (RECENT) (REUTERS) SLV FISHING BOAT COMING BACK TO PORT. VARIOUS VIEWS OF THE CAMP. (2 SHOTS) INTERIOR OF WORK STATION. SV WORKERS PREPARING FOOD FOR WHALE. VARIOUS WORKERS IN WATER REMOVING EXCESS SEAWEED. (6 SHOTS) GV WHALE. MV VOLUNTEER IN WATER WITH WHALE. CU LITTLE GIRL OBSERVING. PAN MARINA TO SEA/ WHALE SWIMING WITH VOLUNTEERS (2 SHOTS) SET P/ (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VOLUNTEER DAVID TORRES SAYING: "We are working 24 hours. I just entered the rotation (of volunteers) and each of us will monitor the whale anywhere between two to three hours." (2 SHOTS) VOLUNTEER FEEDING WHALE. SV WHALE EATING. SV (SOUNDBITE) (English) VOLUNTEER DIEDRA RUDIGER SAYING: "It's very interesting. She is like a diamond, she has many different facets and everyday she shows me a new one. That she's stranded here, in Key West, at a very popular beach makes her a miracle baby. If you look at the Keys, there are some isolated beaches that people never go to but she, she came right into town." GENERAL VIEW OF THE MARINA. SV WORKERS REMOVING SEAWEED. SV (SOUNDBITE) (English) VOLUNTEER JOE DELINO SAYING: "She is getting a bit big. People aren't really able to handle her. Sometimes she's too playful and if you are not used to her, she'll bump into you when you're not expecting it and for some people, it scares them. She has grown about half a foot and she has gained about 40 pounds, that puts her at gaining around a pound and a half per day." SV (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VOLUNTEER LISA GARCIA SAYING: "She is very calm and she loves to be around people. She's like a newborn, she needs a lot of attention." SV VOLUNTEER GIVING EXPLANATION ABOUT TALE. SV WHALE SLV VOLUNTEER IN WATER WITH WHALE. VARIOUS OF KIDS OBSERVING. (4 SHOTS) SV (SOUNDBITE) (English) STUDENT OBSERVING WHALE SAYING: "I'm happy that the whale is still alive but I'm sad about its mother." SV WHALE. GV SAIL BOAT AT SEA.
  • Embargoed: 6th October 2000 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: KEY WEST FLORIDA USA
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Environment
  • Reuters ID: LVA9YSJLALBT96RBPPP9J996P9WF
  • Story Text: A stranded Pygmy Sperm whale has captured the hearts of locals and visitors in the Florida Keys, spawning an army of volunteers who care for her around the clock.
    Volunteers and ecologists have taken on the daunting task of caring for a baby Pygmy Sperm Whale that managed to find its way into a popular beach in Florida's famed Key West.
    The baby whale, aptly named Summer, was found beached near Fort Zachary Taylor in Key West and was transported to a small cove in Stock Island just outside the tourist hotspot.
    Veterinarians believe that the Pygmy Sperm Whale, sometimes confused with the Dwarf Sperm Whale, lost its mother before the onset of summer.
    Close to 200 volunteers, coordinated by Becky Arnold of the Wildlife Rescue of the Florida Keys and Elaine Allen of Marine Animal Rescue Society (MARS), work around the clock to care for the baby whale, feeding it a special mix of squid, octopus, fish and antibiotics.
    "We are working 24 hours," volunteer David Torres said.
    "I just entered the rotation (of volunteers) and each of us will monitor the whale anywhere between two to three hours."
    Since her arrival to Stock Island, Summer has captured the hearts of locals and visitors. School tours give students the opportunity to watch the rescue mission first hand.
    "That she's stranded here, in Key West, at a very popular beach makes her a miracle baby," volunteer Diedra Rudiger said.
    "If you look at the Keys, there are some isolated beaches that people never go to but she, she came right into town."
    Despite a Pygmy Sperm Whale's chances to survive being slim once it has been stranded, Summer has already beaten the odds. One marine mammal expert explained that Summer is the first Pygmy to last so long in captivity and progress positively.
    "She is getting a bit big," one volunteer, Joe Delino, said.
    "She has grown about half a foot and she has gained about 40 pounds, that puts her at gaining around a pound and a half per day."
    Experts say that Pygmy Sperm Whales are notoriously hard to save once they have been stranded. The species tends to live far from shore in deep waters and avoids approaching ships. The population is unknown and their habits are not fully known.
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