Millionaires fund last-ditch rescue operation to free stranded whale named ‘Timmy’ off German coast for six weeks – as Greenpeace insists it be ‘left to die’

Millionaires are set to fund an elaborate last-ditch operation to rescue a stranded humpback whale from shallow waters despite opposition from Greenpeace.

The whale, locally named ‘Timmy’ after the German bay Timmendorfer Strand where it was stranded, has been stranded for nearly six weeks.

Hope was almost lost to save the ten-metre-long animal, but at the 11th hour two millionaires stepped in and promised to fund one last lifeline.

A private company plans to use airbags to float the animal off the seafloor and slide it onto a tarp; The animal will then be taken to the North Sea and perhaps even further into the Atlantic.

But Greenpeace Germany said the operation could cause further harm to the ‘sick and severely weakened’ whale and did not support this latest move, although it had helped previous efforts.

They consulted wildlife experts from the Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research Institute and the German Oceanographic Museum, who said the whale was extremely injured and had visible peeling on its skin.

They added that long-term surgery carries a high risk of injury and the chances of survival are vanishingly small.

According to the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the whale is now showing signs of life but is severely emaciated and suffering from a skin condition caused by low salt levels in the Baltic sea.

A private company plans to use airbags to float the animal off the seafloor and slide it onto a tarp. The animal will then be taken to the North Sea and perhaps even further into the Atlantic.

The skin breaks are believed to have been caused by a ship propeller and fishing net. It is estimated that there were extensive internal injuries due to the whale’s heavy weight crushing its own organs.

The state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania considers the new recovery plan a ‘minimally invasive’ approach, and Till Backhaus, the German state’s environment minister, said the reassessment provided a less invasive option than once thought.

Walter Gunz, who founded a large electronics retailer chain and financed part of the operation, told German news agency dpa that ‘if you at least try something you have a chance of saving it’.

The event’s organizer, Karin Walter-Mommert, is the other sponsor of the operation who, along with Mr Gunz, faces ‘full responsibility’ for the animal’s consequences, according to Mr Backhaus.

The detailed plan was announced on Thursday, but the whale has not yet been moved and dredging around the whale is still being completed.

In a frustrating development, local media reported that water levels would rise, which could cause the whale to swim away on its own.

This would leave him stranded nearby again, further delaying Timmy’s eventual escape as rescuers would have to re-establish formation to extract the whale.

Despite the controversy over these plans, Mr Backhaus said: ‘I still believe it is right for us to try. ‘I am therefore grateful to the two entrepreneurs for their initiative and commitment.’

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Environment Minister Till Backhaus said ‘full responsibility’ for the whale’s outcome lies with the millionaire sponsors

German broadcaster Bild reported that it confirmed that Timmy was still ‘breathing, sensing things, giving signals, making sounds and also showing movements’. This shows that he is also active.’

Veterinarian Janine Bahr-van Gemmert also told reporters: ‘He wants to go outside, he wants to be free, we all see this. We also consulted experts. We’re all on the same page: He deserves the chance and should get it and have the opportunity to continue living out there.’

In a saga that gripped Germany, Timmy had been released after an earlier rescue operation but the humpback whale managed to return to shallow waters near the island of Poel, where he failed to escape.

Authorities later acknowledged this, saying they should let ‘the majestic animal go in peace’.

It is not yet known why the whale disappeared from the Baltic, but some experts suggest it may have been chasing schools of herring.

Critics reportedly claimed that the intensity of some parties’ efforts to save the animal was down to a closely fought election race in the local state.

German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier had met the veterinarians who treated Timmy during a pre-planned trip to the region.