Whale That Was Rescued After Stranded In Germany Found Dead In Denmark
Copenhagen : A humpback whale that was subject to a rescue operation after washing ashore in Germany two weeks ago was found dead near a Danish island, officials said Saturday.
“It can now be confirmed that the humpback whale stranded near Anholt is the same whale that was previously stranded in Germany and was the subject of rescue attempts,” Jane Hansen, department head of the Danish Environmental Protection Agency, told AFP. he said.
The whale, called “Timmy” in the German media, was first seen stuck on the beach on March 23. After various unsuccessful attempts, it was finally placed on a barge and released into the North Sea off Denmark on 2 May.
The whale carcass was first spotted on Thursday off the coast of the Danish island of Anholt in the Kattegatt sea between Sweden and Denmark, but officials were at first unable to confirm it was the same whale.
“Circumstances today made it possible for a local worker from the Danish Nature Agency to find and retrieve the tracking device attached to the whale’s back. The location and appearance of the device confirm that it is the same whale that was previously observed and studied in German waters,” Hansen said. he said.
Hansen added that “there are currently no concrete plans to remove or necropsy the whale from the area and it is not thought to be a problem in the area at this time.”
The Danish Environmental Protection Agency said it understood “public interest in this particular whale is significant” but stressed that people should keep a safe distance and avoid approaching the whale.
It was stated that since decomposition creates a large amount of gas, “This is because the whale can carry diseases that can be transmitted to humans and there is a risk of explosion.”
The whale was first spotted in Germany on the beach near the city of Luebeck on Germany’s Baltic Sea coast, then broke free, but was later re-trapped several times.
Various attempts to save him failed and authorities announced they had given up. But then two wealthy entrepreneurs, Karin Walter-Mommert and Walter Gunz, stepped in to finance the rescue, whose cost was estimated at 1.5 million euros ($1.7 million).
They came up with what many considered a long-term plan: to coax the whale into the water-filled hold of a private barge and tow it back into its natural habitat.
Some experts at the time criticized the privately funded rescue plan, saying it would only cause the animal more distress.
