More than 20 pilot whales have come ashore on a south Florida beach, triggering a daylong effort by state and national officials, nearby residents and others to save them.
By evening, five pilot whales - two calves and three juveniles - had been transported to Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Institute for rehabilitation.
The rest had died of natural causes or had to be humanely euthanased, said Allison Garrett, a spokeswoman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's fisheries service.
"It was not possible to rehabilitate them," she said.
The pod of 22 whales came ashore on Saturday morning at Avalon Beach State Park in St Lucie County. They ranged from calves and juveniles to adult whales.
