Stranded Whales Rescued Off the Florida Keys Die
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KEY LARGO, Fla. — Two stranded pygmy sperm whales separately rescued off the Florida Keys have died within two days of each other.
An 11-foot-long, 950-pound whale died Saturday, a day after it was found stranded near Islamorada and taken to the Marine Mammal Conservancy in Key Largo.
Officials there said preliminary findings of a necropsy indicated heart failure was the cause of death.
On Thursday another pygmy sperm whale, nicknamed Kokomo, died after more than a month of treatment by conservancy officials and volunteers.
The 1,200-pound mammal was found stranded Jan. 22 off the Upper Keys and spent 12 days recovering in an Islamorada resort’s heated saltwater pool before it was moved to a lagoon. A necropsy was pending.
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