Wildlife officials fighting to save some 41 stranded pilot whales say they are not optimistic about getting the great mammals back out to sea. Dozens of short-finned pilots are stranded in shallow water off Florida Everglades National Park. It is a phenomenon of nature that baffles scientists. The grim assessment came as the number of dead whales climbed to 10, including four euthanized by wildlife officials after being found in “poor condition.” An attempt earlier in the day to herd the whales out of the park’s remote Highland Beach failed. Rescuers have been using five boats to create a blockade of sorts between the whales and the beach as part of the effort to keep them from beaching and simultaneously encouraging them to make their way back to the Gulf of Mexico
