Autopsy for humpback whale Timmy set for next week
The life and death of the mammal that was repeatedly stranded in the Baltic Sea. The carcass of the humpback whale, which fascinated the Germans for months, was dragged to the Danish coast after remaining decomposed in shallow waters for two weeks.
The whale had earned the nickname “Timmy” since he was first spotted off the coast of Germany on March 3, as German media outlets sent instant alerts and updated live blogs about his health.
The whale was found dead on May 14 just off the small island of Anholt in the Kattegat, the wide strait between Denmark and Sweden that connects the Baltic Sea to the North Sea.
The whale’s death ended months of spectacular and contentious rescue efforts that culminated on May 2 when the mammal was transported by barge toward the North Sea in a last-ditch effort to return it to its native habitat in the Atlantic Ocean.
The carcass will be examined next week to determine the cause of death, according to the Danish Environmental Protection Agency.
It was stated that the autopsy examination will begin on Thursday afternoon and is expected to last approximately six hours.
“The animal will smell very bad because it has been lying in the sun for so long,” said whale researcher Peter Teglberg Madsen, who has been assisting with whale necropsies in Denmark for 25 years.
“It will be pretty overwhelming if you don’t get used to it.”
Danish news outlet News5 on Saturday aired live coverage of the carcass being dragged to the shoreline by a cable attached to a truck on the beach.
Danish authorities warned the public that the carcass, swollen with decaying gases, was at risk of exploding.
Madsen said the main purpose of the autopsy was to determine the cause of death because “the debate largely focused on whether the whale could be saved.”
They will also look for evidence of fishing gear or plastic in the animal’s digestive tract; as such factors have caused the deaths of many humpback whales in Danish waters in recent years.
It is not yet known why the whale swam to the Baltic Sea, which is far from its habitat and is not suitable, but some experts say that the whale may have lost its way while swimming after a herring school or during migration.
with DPA
