July 10, 2026, 1:25 p.mJuly 10, 2026, 1:32 p.m
Another humpback whale is on the move off the Danish Baltic Sea coast. Everything indicates that the animal spotted off Aarhus is Hartwin – the same whale that has been observed in Danish waters in recent weeks, including between Jutland and the island of Funen, said the Danish Environment Agency. His appearance and behavior suggested that he was ill.
Humpback whale Hartwin was spotted again off Denmark.Image: Facebook/Linda Frølund Hansen
The Environment Agency urged people to keep their distance from the whale. “It is particularly important not to sail close to the animal or make contact with it in any other way,” she explained. If the whale is actually sick, any disturbance will cause additional stress for it.
The authority emphasized that it generally does not interfere with the lives of wild whales. “We therefore ask everyone to leave the whale alone and observe it from a safe distance,” she wrote. The emergency services are closely monitoring the situation and are in contact with experts.
Researchers have stated several times that humpback whales are becoming increasingly common in Danish waters. In recent years there has always been at least one per year, sometimes several.
In the spring, a humpback whale swam into German waters and repeatedly got stranded amidst great public attention. A private initiative brought the animal called “Timmy” into the North Sea in a complex operation in a transport barge and released it there. Experts criticized this as animal cruelty. The whale did not survive. In mid-May he was discovered dead off the Danish Baltic Sea island of Anholt. (dab/sda/dpa)