488 



[From The Washington Evening Star, Aug. 21, 1971] 

 Youths Ride Whale Herd to Safetv 



Boca Grande, Fla. (AP) — Teen-agers swarmed into shallow waters yesterday 

 and rode .a herd of beached whales piggyback to safety in the Gulf of Mexico. 



The impromptu rescue effort put the mammals back on course — at least 

 temporarily. 



All but two of the 47 whales were lugged and coaxed back into deeper waters, 

 said Sgt. Robert Patterson of the Florida Marine Patrol. The two died, he said. 



The black, snub-nosed sea creatures, 8 to 20 feet long, swam slowly down the 

 gulf, but darted inland again near the south tip of this swanky winter resort. 



Officer Don EUingsen said they wallowed aroimd in shallow waters for about 

 two hours until a squall hit and drove them out. 



The whales started beaching on Gasparilla Island here around daybre'ak, said 

 Lee County Deputy Sheriff Johns Knight. 



Teen-agers in floppy hats, t-shirt«, blue jeans and sandals, raced into the foot- 

 deep waters where the mammals were stranded, jumped aboard some and guided 

 them to safety. 



Marine officers in bo.ats lassoed others by the tail and towed them to deeper 

 areas. 



"People weren't afraid," Knight said. "They went right into the water to 

 steer them off shore." 



"The whales flipped their tails and knocked some of the kids down," said 

 Joe Warner, an observer. "But they didn't seem hurt. They got right back up." 



He said about 30 onlookers, mostly tene-agers pitched in on the rescue effort. 



Scientists at the Florida Department of Natural Resources said they don't 

 know why the whales beach themselves. 'It seems to be a suicidal tendency," one 

 commented. 



He said similar phenomena have occurred on the Atlantic Coast and the 

 Florida Keys, but he didn't know of any previous occurrences on the Gulf Coast. 



Mrs. Stevens. The song of the humpback whale is probably familiar 

 to the members of the committee and that has been recorded by Roger 

 Payne, one of the authors of the article about the humpback whale. 



This is a new approach scientifically to the study of marine 

 mammals. 



Dr. Schevill, who gave testimony this morning, has also recorded 

 the whale songs and other sounds and it has been done for some tinie 

 but the work of Roger Payne is probably the most advanced in this 

 area and you may be looking at the back pages of that article and 

 you will see the sound all portrayed visually. 



Mr. Chairman, the Society for Protective Legislation is deeply 

 grateful to the chairman and members of the Subcommittee on Fish- 

 eries and Wildlife of the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee 

 for holdings these thorough and extensive hearings on sea mammals, 

 creatures remote from most of us, but having an enormous and unex- 

 plained fascination for human beings. The view has been expressed 

 that when the entire story of the evolution of homo sapiens is dis- 

 covered, some phase will be related to life in the sea. Those mammals, 

 which, like ourselves, produce only a single offspring at a time, and 

 which have such remarkably well developed brains are possible candi- 

 dates for a case of, at the very least, parallel development with our own. 



Clearly the dearth of scientific literature on the living mammals 

 of the oceans ^akes all theories purely speculative, but as you have 

 stated. Mr. Chairman, we are dealing with animals "some of whom may 

 be at least as intelligent as man." At these hearings, which are the most 

 interesting I have ever attended, we have learned that sea lions and 

 seals are capable of using the money principle which, theretofore, has 

 I believe, only been tested on the great apes, man's nearest known 

 relatives. We have all heard of the chimpomat which chimpanzees use 



