Rescuers release humpback whale that was stranded off German coast | Whales
Rescuers have freed a young humpback whale that became a national sensation after it ran aground in shallow waters off the coast of Germany, but marine experts said its chances of survival were slim.
The whale, also nicknamed Timmy or Hope, was released into the North Sea after rescuers took it off the coast of Denmark on a water-filled barge.
The 10-metre-long calf swam out of the barge and was later observed blowing through the blower and swimming freely “in the right direction”, according to Karin Walter-Mommert from the rescue team.
The rescue attempt had been criticized by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) as “inadvisable” because the whale appeared “seriously compromised” and was unlikely to survive after release.
Experts from the Oceanographic Museum in Stralsund on Germany’s Baltic coast also recommended that the creature be left to die peacefully.
The whale was described as lethargic and covered in blister-like spots, and parts of its mouth are thought to have been caught in a fishing net.
Museum director Burkard Baschek said trying to save the whale amounted to “pure animal cruelty.”
The rescue attempt was financed by two multimillionaires who said they were ready to pay “whatever it takes” to free the whale, which was stranded on a beach in Wismar Bay near the city of Lübeck about six weeks ago.
As his health deteriorated, German authorities gave up efforts to save the mammal, saying they believed it could not be saved.
But after the whale’s plight gained national attention, with coverage from TV stations and social media influencers, German officials were persuaded to approve a privately funded rescue plan.
Initial attempts to save the whale with inflatable pillows and pontoons were unsuccessful, but divers eventually managed to help the creature onto the submerged barge as hundreds of onlookers watched.
Walter-Mommert said the whale left the barge in the North Sea around 8.45am local time.
“He is now swimming independently and freely, and at least for now he is swimming in the right direction,” he added.
The calf has been fitted with a tracking device to monitor its movements, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state’s Social Democrat (SPD) environment minister Till Backhaus said he was hopeful for a “happy ending”.
In Germany, supporters are baking whale-shaped cakes, composing songs about the animal and getting its image tattooed on their bodies.
However, Timmy’s location is close to Denmark. Denmark’s environment ministry described the whale stranding as a “completely natural phenomenon”, telling German television broadcaster Deutsche Welle that it had no plans to rescue the whale if it stranded again.
