Rescued pilot whale 'Fredi' dies at SeaWorld Orlando after long illness

ORLANDO —  A pilot whale died at SeaWorld Orlando Saturday, park officials said in a release on the SeaWorld website.

The whale, called NOAA 301 and nicknamed Fredi, was part of a mass stranding of 23 whales near Cudjoe Key in 2011, and suffered from chronic health issues.

The SeaWorld Rescue Team and partners responded to the stranding and were able to save eight of the whales. Two were immediately transported 40 miles offshore and released. 

NOAA Fisheries deemed Fredi too young to be successfully released and the whale was taken to SeaWorld Orlando.

Fredi lived for eight years at SeaWorld Orlando with a pod of other rescued pilot whales. However, she suffered from "persistent health concerns" after her rescue, SeaWorld reported.

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Fredi was being treated for an infection at the time of her death, officials said. The rest of the whales in her pod are being monitored for signs of illness.

SeaWorld Orlando currently houses three pilot whales: NOAA 1202, 1203 and 1204; nicknamed Ava, Ace and Piper. Like Fredi, they were rescued after being stranded and were too young to be released into the wild.

Pilot whales are the second-largest members of the dolphin family, after killer whales. They are found in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres in temperate and tropical waters. Although their numbers have been depleted in some areas, they are not considered endangered.

Pilot whale strandings are not uncommon. In November 2018, more than 140 whales died after a mass stranding on the coast of New Zealand.