Rescuers release humpback whale that was stranded off German coast | Whales
Rescuers have released a young humpback whale that became a national sensation after it ran aground in shallow waters off the coast of Germany, although marine experts say its chances of survival are low.
The whale, nicknamed Timmy or Hope, was released into the North Sea off the coast of Denmark after being transported there in a water-filled barge by rescuers.
The 10-metre-long calf swam out of the barge and was then observed blowing through its blowhole and swimming freely “in the right direction”, according to Karin Walter-Mommert of the rescue initiative.
The rescue attempt had been criticized by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) as “inadvisable” because the whale appeared to be “severely compromised” and unlikely to survive after release.
Experts at the Oceanographic Museum in Stralsund, on Germany’s Baltic coast, also recommended letting the creature die in peace.
The whale was described as lethargic and covered in blister-like spots, and parts of its mouth were believed 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 prepared to pay “whatever it costs” to free the whale, which washed up on a sandbar in Wismar Bay, near the town of Lübeck, almost six weeks ago.
As its health deteriorated, German authorities gave up trying to save the mammal, saying they believed it could not be released.
But after the whale’s plight sparked national interest, thanks to media coverage from television networks and social media influencers, German authorities were persuaded to approve a privately funded rescue plan.
Initial attempts to save the whale with inflatable bags and pontoons failed, but divers eventually managed to help the creature onto a flooded barge, watched by hundreds of spectators.
The whale left the barge in the North Sea around 8:45 a.m. local time, Walter-Mommert said.
“He is now swimming alone and freely, and at least for the moment, in the right direction,” she added.
The calf was fitted with a tracker to track its movements and Till Backhaus, the Social Democratic (SPD) environment minister of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, said he hoped for a “happy ending”.
In Germany, supporters bake cakes in the shape of a whale, compose songs about the animal and tattoo their bodies with its image.
However, Timmy’s release location is close to Denmark. Denmark’s Environment Ministry told German broadcaster Deutsche Welle that it had no plans to save the whale if it stranded again, describing whale stranding as a “completely natural phenomenon.”
