Pygmy killer whales returned to Gulf after nine-month stay in Gulfport

Two pygmy killer whales returned to the Gulf of Mexico on Monday after spending almost a year in rehabilitation.

Moby Solangi, director of the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport, said the two males were successfully returned to the wild.

The U.S. Coast Guard assisted with the release of the pygmy killer whales.

“We had to go out about 100 miles south of Gulfport into the deep water, which is their natural habitat,” Solangi said. “We tagged the whales and we have received satellite transmissions that shows that they are doing well.”

The whales were found about nine months ago in the Mississippi Sound near Waveland.

“They were almost dead when we found them,” Solangi said. “They were in critical condition and they had to have care around the clock for the first few days.”

According to us.whales.org, the pygmy killer whale is actually a dolphin. The mammals are usually found in deep oceanic waters and rarely come close to the shore.

“This was a very special situation for us because so little is known about the pygmy killer whales,” Solangi said. “This is one of the first cases of the pygmy whales surviving in captivity.”

He said he learned much during the pygmy whales’ stay in Gulfport.

“We were able to conduct a lot of research that hadn’t been done before,” Solangi said. “We learned much about their immune systems and their ability to communicate — they went through their treatment together and helped one another along the way.”

This story was originally published July 13, 2016 at 1:24 PM with the headline "Pygmy killer whales returned to Gulf after nine-month stay in Gulfport."