12-foot Pygmy Sperm whale beached at Hospital Creek, St. Augustine, Florida

Sick whale found in shallow water

June 2, 2012

By PETER GUINTA

A team of biologists and marine mammal experts quickly assembled at the end of Ocean Avenue in St. Augustine on Friday evening after a kayaker spotted a small whale circling near Hospital Creek.

Larry Kendrick of EcoTours, a company based at St. Augustine Marina, had been kayaking near the creek about 6 p.m. when he spotted the 11-foot to 12-foot pygmy sperm whale and called the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission hotline. Hospital Creek is near Mission of Nombre de Dios, site of the large cross north of downtown St. Augustine.

              By Peter Guinta, [email protected]

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission workers try to carry the pygmy whale to a truck on Friday evening.

FWC Marine Mammal Biologist Nadia J. Gordon arrived, as did George Biedenbach, director of conservation programs for The Georgia Aquarium Conservation Field Station in Flagler County, Hillary Register of the Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens Stranding Team and Zack McKenna of Eco- Tours.

Gordon said pygmy sperm whales were the second most common stranding mammal, behind bottlenose dolphins, and … continue …

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