J.J. on the beach

(CNN) -- Keiko isn't the first whale to be brought in from the wild with the goal of being rehabilitated and then released.

Five months ago, a gray whale named J.J. was released back into the wild, a year after it washed up on California's shore. The starving baby whale would have died without human help, experts say.

J.J.'s release wasn't quite as controversial as Keiko's, partly due to the gray whale's social structure.

CNN's Jim Hill has more.

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