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March 30, 2026, 8:59 p.mMarch 30, 2026, 9:09 p.m
According to the Ministry of the Environment in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the humpback whale moved off the Baltic Sea coast in the evening. However, it is not yet clear in which direction he is swimming, said a spokesman for the German Press Agency. According to the environmental organization Greenpeace, the animal initially swam towards the harbor. The rescue operation was not yet over in the evening.
The whale has been lying in shallow water in the bay off Wismar since at least Saturday and is shielded from onlookers.
Wal seemed more agile than before
In the afternoon, scientists, environmentalists and the country’s environment minister, Till Backhaus (SPD), had already tried to contact the animal. The animal reacted to the approach of the boat, a ministry spokesman told the German Press Agency. The animal also appeared more agile than before.
After the action in the afternoon, the ministry announced, among other things: “Since we can expect the water level to continue to rise in the next few hours, the opportunity for the whale to leave its lying position on its own initiative will improve.”
The humpback whale was initially stranded on a sandbank in Schleswig-Holstein off Timmendorfer Strand on the night of March 23rd. On Friday night, the whale managed to leave the shallow water after helpers dug a channel. On Saturday he was spotted in shallow water off Wismar.
According to the Ministry of the Environment, the whale has been traveling in the coastal area of the Baltic Sea since March 3rd. According to the marine conservation organization Sea Shepherd, the animal was caught in a gillnet. (sda/dpa)