( CNN ) -- Volunteers and veterinarians caring round the clock for stranded pilot whales were buoyed Saturday evening by news that two were released off the Florida Keys . After being transported by boat , the males swam away in the Atlantic Ocean about nine miles off the lower Florida Keys shortly before 6 p.m. , said Karrie Carnes , National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration spokeswoman . The pair are 12 feet and 13 feet long and weigh more than 1,000 pounds each . They are considered teenagers . Five other surviving pilot whales are being cared for in a sea pen established at Cudjoe Key , about 20 miles east of Key West . `` They ( the whales ) are being literally cradled 24 hours a day , '' Carnes said . Fourteen whales died after stranding themselves in shallow waters over a 12-mile stretch of sand flats . Veterinarians are not sure why the protected whales came to shore , said Carnes , adding that they are usually found in 300-meter deep waters in the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico . `` We may never know why this group stranded . '' The pod showed no evident signs of significant emaciation or illness , but may have become disoriented and followed each other to the shore . `` They are very social animals , '' Carnes said . The rescue effort , which began Thursday , has included hundreds of federal and state employees , veterinarians and volunteers , said Carnes , who works at the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary . Rescuers plan to transfer the five survivors to a rehabilitation facility in Key Largo once they are healthy enough to undergo the journey , Carnes told CNN . Tents and wet sheets are protecting the five from the sun and temperatures . Veterinarians are checking their blood and body fluids and are pumping them with antibiotics and enzymes . Volunteers from the Marine Mammal Conservancy in Key Largo have been crucial to the operation . `` For a lot of people , marine animals are very charismatic , '' Carnes said . `` People have a love of the ocean and mysteries of the deep . '' Sea World , the U.S. Coast Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also have provided assistance in the lifesaving effort . Adult pilot whales can measure up to 20 feet long and weigh up to 3 tons . Due to their social nature , they are often involved in mass strandings , according to the American Cetacean Society . The ACS is a nonprofit group based in California that works to protect whales , dolphins and porpoises , according to its website . A similar incident occurred in the Florida Keys in 2003 , when 28 whales were stranded . Most of them died , but after several months of care , five were released back into the ocean . CNN 's Lateef Mungin contributed to this report .
Fourteen male pilot whales are released in the Atlantic Ocean off Cudjoe Key . Two others are being treated 24/7 in a holding pen . They will be taken to the Atlantic Ocean for further rehabilitation . Two other whales died after stranding themselves .