Number 12, a small harbor porpoise rescued after becoming stranded on Goose Rocks Beach in Kennebunkport on Feb. 26, has been returned to the wild.
The porpoise had been cared for at the University of New England Marine Science Center and Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center in Biddeford where she received physical therapy from the swim team.
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Keith Matassa, marine rehabilitation coordinator at the center, said a crew of six went out with Number 12 this morning and released her about two miles out from the Saco River.
“She had a moment of hesitation when she hit the water, kind of stopped, then took off like an arrow in three feet of water,” said Matassa.
A satellite tag on her dorsal fin showed that she was swimming off Portland Harbor this afternoon. The tag will allow researchers to follow the two-year-old 52-pound porpoise’s movements for the next six months. Only about one out of 100 cetaceans that are rescued make it back to the wild.
“She was ready to go,” said Matassa.
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