Expert brands rescue of Timmy the whale ‘an all-round catastrophe’ over deficient tracker | Germany

Marine biologists and whale experts have stepped up their criticism of a privately funded operation to free a humpback whale stranded on Germany’s Baltic coast for weeks after it emerged that the tracking device fitted to the whale was not working.

The whereabouts and health of the young male whale, nicknamed Timmy after one of the beaches where he stranded, are still unknown three days after he was transported to the waters off the coast of Denmark on a water-filled barge pulled by a tugboat.

The rescue attempt, estimated to cost around 1.5 million euros, was partly financed by Karin Walter-Mommert, owner of one of Europe’s largest racehorse portfolios.

Walter-Mommert, who confirmed to German media on Tuesday that the tracking device was not working, had previously claimed that the device was also supposed to transmit information about the animal’s vital signs. This has been disputed by some experts and environmental activists, including Greenpeace.

The whale first got stuck on a beach near the city of Lübeck on Germany’s Baltic Sea coast on March 23, then freed itself and then got stuck again several times.

The mammal’s health deteriorated after it was repeatedly stranded in shallow waters near the coastal city of Wismar, and unsuccessful efforts to coax it into deeper seas were broadcast live around the world.

The environment minister of the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania gave the green light to the attempt to save the whale, despite some warnings from the scientific community that it might be too much for the animal.

“If it turns out that the device does not provide any information, it would be an all-round disaster for the whale and the rescue team,” whale researcher Fabian Ritter told German media. Ritter said that if it was not possible to determine whether the whale was dead or not, the entire operation would have been in vain.

The German Oceanographic Museum in Stralsund said in a statement that it believed the whale was “most likely” dead and called on the organizers of the rescue mission to release data from the tracker so the operation can be evaluated.

Scientists were skeptical from the beginning of attempts to save the whale, stating that this was animal cruelty and underlining the possibility of the whale drowning if it was not strong enough to swim in deep waters.

The whale was last photographed swimming in the Skagerrak Strait. Danish officials stated in advance that they would not make any attempt to save the whale if it was later understood that it was in a difficult situation, and argued that nature should be allowed to take its course.

Danish marine biologist Peter Madsen said the lack of data on all phases of the operation was unusual and not recommended.

He told the German Press Agency that the data appeared to be maintained by a small group of people, including those who launched the operation and the environment ministry of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, describing it as “very strange and unprofessional”. The environment ministry said it was still waiting to receive data from the private enterprise and information about the animal’s condition.

Neither the rescue attempt nor the environment ministry responded to requests for information about what tracking device was used.

There were also confusing reports regarding the decision to release the whale. A veterinarian aboard the Fortuna B., one of two rescue ships accompanying the whale, was reportedly barred from witnessing the second and final release attempts.

Kirsten Tönnies said tensions were high between the experts on the ship and the ship’s crew. He said he disagreed with the whale being released backwards from the barge and being prohibited from providing a medical certificate in advance.

The ship’s operators were unable to comment. Fortuna B.’s tracking signal appears to have been turned off, according to officials and ship trackers.

In a joint statement, Walter-Mommert and his co-financier Walter Gunz, one of the founders of the leading electronics chain, distanced themselves from the way the whale was released.

“We hereby expressly distance ourselves from the events and the manner in which the whale was abandoned,” they wrote, calling for “any consequences” to be borne by the owner, operators and all crew members of the ships Fortuna B and Robin Hood.