Last night while kayaking off No Name Key during the sunset and moonrise, I saw a dead pilot whale. This was one of fifty-one whales stranded ten days ago on the edge of Everglades National Park (it made national news). Twenty-two whales beached themselves and eleven of the fifty-one found their way to Snipes Point, suffering a slow death. That leaves a toll of 22 dead and 29 missing, and the experts are not harboring much hope for them. Necropsies (autopsies for animals) revealed that the mammals were malnourished and starving. When a pilot whale beaches himself/herself, the ones that are free do not leave and follow a similar fate. It is not quite clear why these whales beach themselves and it has happened before in Florida. The Pilot Whale is not endangered but is protected by the Marine Protection Act. Sure hope I do not see any of those missing whales washed up on Seagrass Beach.
