Aquarium's Struggle To Save 5 Stranded Whales Chronicled In Film

CLEARWATER, FL — It was a day biologists and rescuers at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium will never forget. And now the world will remember it, too.

The heroic efforts of the aquarium's staff to rescue five short-finned pilot whales stranded off Redington Beach on July 29, 2019, has been chronicled in a documentary called "Stranded: A Whale Rescue Story."

The aquarium will host the world premiere of the full-length film Sept. 16 from 5 to 7 p.m. in its newly completed 300-seat movie theater.

The nonprofit aquarium's rescue and rehabilitation institute is accustomed to receiving calls for help to rescue beached dolphins, sea turtles in distress, manatees that have become trapped in tidal pools, even a tiny seahorse named Frito who became entangled in a fishing line.

However, the call aquarium staff received before dawn that Monday in July 2019 was like no other.

It was 7 a.m. when the rescue team arrived and joined staff from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission who were already on the scene. They immediately broke into groups. Some gathered around the distressed whales, stroking and comforting them, others quickly erected canopies in the shallow water over the five pilot whales to shield their sensitive skin from Florida's tropical sun. Meanwhile, marine veterinarians examined the distressed whales, attempting to determine why they beached themselves and formulating a plan to rescue them.

The reason why whales beach themselves is still a mystery to scientists. They theorize that, since whales are social animals, if one gets sick and beaches itself to die, the others will follow. But marine biologists still aren't sure why the entire pod would sacrifice itself.

This case was especially puzzling since none of the whales were critically injured or sick.

The rescuers spent the day monitoring the whales' vitals before determining they were stable enough to move. The three larger whales were lifted by pulley onto boats and taken into the Gulf of Mexico where they were tagged and released. Mature short-finned pilot whales are about 18 feet long and can weigh between 2,200 to 6,600 pounds.

The younger, smaller whales were transported to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium's newly opened stranding station at Fred Howard Park in Tarpon Springs for assessment and treatment. When they were deemed healthy enough to release, rescuers reunited the younger whales with their pod using satellite images from the tags that were attached to the adult whales.

The film not only highlights the efforts of marine biologists and veterinarians but chronicles how the community - hundreds of people - converged on the beach to do whatever they could to help whether it was giving rescuers a break, providing food and drinks or fetching supplies while respectfully maintaining their distance from the easily startled whales.

This isn't the first time the Clearwater Marine Aquarium has made it onto the big screen. A 2011 major motion picture, "Dolphin Tale," starring Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman, tells the true story of Clearwater Marine Aquarium resident, Winter the dolphin, who was injured after getting caught in a crab trap, resulting in the loss of her tale. After being rescued by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Winter became the first dolphin to receive a prosthetic tale.

The sequel, "Dolphin Tale 2," was released in September 2014 and features another CMA resident, Hope the dolphin.

Click here for tickets.

See related stories:

• Rescuers Transporting 3 Beached Whales Back To Deep Water
• Clearwater Marine Aquarium Unveils New Viewing Areas
• Aquarium's Whale Exhibit To Debut Newly Discovered Species