Two pilot whales that beached themselves on Redington Beach Monday were released back into the Gulf of Mexico Thursday.
The couple was part of a group of five whales that were rescued Monday. Three were tagged and released back on Monday, and the other two have spent the last few days at Fred Howard Park in Tarpon Springs.
Clearwater Marine Aquarium CEO David Yates said the rescue team wanted to return the whales to their habitat as soon as possible.
"The goal is when these animals are medically cleared and good to go, to get them back in the wild and that's what we're doing today," he said.
The whales were transported to Anclote River Park, and released about 20 miles into the Gulf of Mexico.
One was 12-feet-long and weighs about 1,600 pounds. The other was 10-feet-long and weighs just under 1,000 pounds.
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