Pilot whale from Japan arrives at SeaWorld; 'going to be very beneficial for him'

SAN DIEGO ? SeaWorld San Diego says it welcomed a 10-year-old male pilot whale from Japan Monday morning.

Weighing in at 1,200 pounds and 11 feet 6 inches long, Argo arrived at the airport at 5 a.m. after a nine-hour flight on a FedEx transport plane. He was in a pool behind the dolphin stadium by 7:30 a.m., SeaWorld spokesman David Koontz said.

According to SeaWorld, Argo was found stranded on a beach near Kamogawa, Japan in January 2004. The Japanese Coast Guard tried to release the whale back into the wild but the whale continued to beach itself, officials said.

The whale has been cared for by Kamogawa SeaWorld, not affiliated with the parks in the U.S., for the last several years and has been deemed un-releasable. The Japanese facility requested SeaWorld San Diego care for the animal long term so that it may live with other pilot whales.

?He is getting an opportunity to live with other animals of his own species, which is extremely beneficial for this animal. Pilot whales live in pods so having the opportunity to live with other animals of his own species is going to be very beneficial for him,? Koontz said.

Trainers hope to introduce Argo to other pilot whales in the next few days, but, ?they will make a judgment when they feel he is ready,? and may introduce him to dolphins as well, Koontz said.

Argo joins three other pilot whales ? 49-year-old female Bubbles, 32-year-old female Shadow and Sully, a male estimated to be between 3 and 5 years old.

Source: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/mar/19/pilot-whale-japan-arrives-seaworld/

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