Two of 20 stranded pilot whales released in Fla.

WTSP.com: 10 News (Tampa Bay): Two of 20 stranded pilot whales released in Fla.
CUDJOE KEY, Fla. - Two pilot whales found stranded in the Florida Keys will be released.

Twenty pilot whales beached themselves Thursday in shallow water off Cudjoe Key. Seven survived and were confined in a makeshift pen to be treated for dehydration.

Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary spokeswoman Karrie Carnes tells The Key West Citizen that blood tests indicate that two of the whales were healthy enough to be released into deeper waters Saturday.

Both male whales were placed on a barge which will take them 12 miles off the lower Florida Keys into the ocean, reports CBS-4 Miami. Satellite tags were placed on the whales' dorsal fin for tracking, which should last two to three months.

Meanwhile, the five remaining whales are considered to be in critical condition.

Necropsies are planned for the 13 whales that died.

Cudjoe Key is in the Lower Keys about 20 miles east of Key West.