GRAY WHALE J.J. READY TO JOIN THE WILD BUNCH.Byline: Brooke Olson Daily News Staff Writer One of Sea World San Diego's most beloved animals is ready to be returned to the wild March 26, researchers announced Wednesday. J.J., a 16-month-old California gray whale, has been nursed back to health by the world-renown aquatics park and is ready to join a pod, or a group of whales that travel together. The infant whale washed ashore on Venice Beach at the tender age of 4 days. Experts believe she was abandoned by her mother. Comatose co·ma·tose adj. 1. Of, relating to, or affected with coma. 2. Marked by lethargy; torpid. comatose (kō´m and near death, biologists gave her only a 50 percent chance of survival. The feisty calf not only beat the odds and survived, she thrived. Nearly 30 feet long and 19,000 pounds, J.J. is one of Sea World's most popular success stories - and most famous attraction. On Wednesday, Sea World held a news conference to outline the extraordinary task of returning J.J. to the ocean. ``People are always going to remember the gray whale,'' said August A. Busch III, chairman and president of the Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc., which owns Sea World. Unquestionably un·ques·tion·a·ble adj. Beyond question or doubt. See Synonyms at authentic. un·ques  tion·a·bil healthy and thriving in her 1.7-million-gallon-pool, J.J.'s remarkable full recovery is no guarantee that the mammal will survive in the wild. ``There are several concerns about her release - this is a totally new and unique experience for her,'' said Sea World General Curator Jim Antrim. Sea World officials outlined several possible dangers J.J. could face, including attacks by killer whales; entanglement in commercial fishing gear; and her own curiosity, which could lead her into shallow waters where she may become stranded. Sea World researchers will closely track J.J.'s movements for the next two years and said they would intervene on the whale's behalf only if she becomes entangled en·tan·gle tr.v. en·tan·gled, en·tan·gling, en·tan·gles 1. To twist together or entwine into a confusing mass; snarl. 2. To complicate; confuse. 3. To involve in or as if in a tangle. in a net or stuck in a bay or river. But animal care experts believe that the whale will need to develop her own survival instincts - such as staying away from killer whales. ``Killer whales are natural predators on gray whales . . . and J.J. will need to learn to avoid them on her own,'' Antrim said. J.J. is the biggest animal ever rescued by Sea World's rehabilitation rehabilitation: see physical therapy. team - and she will be the largest living animal ever transported. The Conifer conifer (kŏn`ĭfûr) [Lat.,=cone-bearing], tree or shrub of the order Coniferales, e.g., the pine, monkey-puzzle tree, cypress, and sequoia. Most conifers bear cones and most are evergreens, though a few, such as the larch, are deciduous. , a 180-foot Coast Guard ship typically used to lift cement-plastered buoys out of the ocean, will transport the whale, lifting the mammal with a crane that can hoist hoist: see winch. 20,000 pounds. The Coast Guard will transport the whale to an area off Point Loma Point Loma is a neighborhood of San Diego, California. Geographically it is a hilly peninsula that is bordered on the west and south by the Pacific Ocean, the east by the San Diego Bay and Old Town and the north by the San Diego River. , the westernmost point of San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. , where animal care experts expect to find pods of whales migrating north. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: August A. Busch III speaks Wednesday at Sea World San Diego with a photo of J.J. behind him. Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press |
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