Sully the Pilot Whale's Story Part 2

September thru October, 2009:  Returning Sully to a wild pod of pilot

whales remains SCCN’s principle goal.  Every morning at 6:45am, Sully

accompanies the boat out to sea for both mental stimulation and vital

physical exercise.  If pilot whales are located and tracked along the

northeast, east, or south coast of Curacao - the crew is confident they

can deliver Sully to his own kind. 

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September thru October:  THE SEARCH IS ON!  Pilot whales are only

sporadically sighted near Curacao.  Finding Sully a pod is no easy

task.  Thankfully, SCCN can depend on the Coast Guard, the Marines,

the Blue Skies Adventure Tours helicopter pilots, dive boat captains,

private sailors and fishermen to help keep watchful eyes on the lookout

for pilot whales.

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November 5, 2009:  Thanks to the Coast Guard, Blue Skies Tours, and

Habitat Dive Shop; SCCN is directed to a pod of pilot whales - providing

Sully with the opportunity to join.  After traveling over 40km for three

and a half hours, Sully and team catch up to the pod near Coral

Estates.  Sully spends over one hour loitering along the perimeter of

the group, occasionally approached by individual whales.  Unfortunately,

Sully fails to follow along with the group by nightfall.  Why did he not

join?  Was this not a familiar pod? Had he become too accustomed to

human care?  Were the other whales simply not accepting him? Is he still

too young to be independent of his mother?  The plain fact is no one

will ever know the answer.  The crew and Sully travel the long distance

in the darkness back to the facility.  Together they have logged over

70km spanning eight and a half hours.

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November thru December, 2009:  As he did not integrate with the pod of

pilot whales, the SCCN shifted emphasis from releasing Sully to finding

him a proper home.  The Curacao Sea Aquarium is designed for human

interaction with bottlenose dolphins and provides little extra space for

a growing pilot whale.  Sea World San Diego houses two female pilot

whales and is world-renowned for its quality of animal care.  Thus, the

SCCN sought permission from both the U.S. and Netherlands Antilles

authorities for a permit to move Sully.  

(Still updating this page, check back shortly.)

Sully's story part two

September thru October:  THE SEARCH IS ON!  Pilot whales are only sporadically sighted near Curacao.  Finding Sully a pod is no easy task.  Thankfully, SCCN can depend on the Coast Guard, the Marines, the Blue Skies Adventure Tours helicopter pilots, dive boat captains, private sailors and fishermen to help keep watchful eyes on the lookout for pilot whales.