Seagulls sit on the humpback whale “Timmy”.Image: www.imago-images.de
There is no longer any hope that the stranded humpback whale will find its way out of the Baltic Sea. After the animal’s death, external experts should provide clarity.
April 1, 2026, 8:50 p.mApril 1, 2026, 8:50 p.m
The experts agree: The stranded humpback whale will most likely die off the island of Poel. As was explained at a press conference on Wednesday, further rescue attempts are pointless and amount to “cruelty to animals”.
Till Backhaus, the Environment Minister of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, explained that there are already plans for the time after the whale’s death. The animal should therefore be brought to the maritime museum in Stralsund. This procedure is common: Even if a dead seal is found on the beaches of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, this is the procedure.
Burkard Baschek from the Maritime Museum emphasized that an autopsy of the whale should be carried out in the museum in order to draw conclusions about the cause of death and the reasons why the animal got lost. He explained that it was expressly not about preparing the animal or preserving its skeleton for exhibition purposes.
One of the failed rescue operations from the weekend.Image: www.imago-images.de
Whale drama in the Baltic Sea: Experts are still faced with unanswered questions
So far it is completely unclear what diseases the animal is suffering from. The experts at the press conference also did not want to commit to a time forecast: the whale could live for another five days – or perhaps several more weeks.
The biologists said they believe the whale had lost its ability to orientate itself. Even when he was able to free himself from the sandbank, he couldn’t find his way back to his home waters.
It is also not yet clear what role the net that the whale is said to have swallowed plays in the tragedy. To ensure complete transparency, the examination of the dead animal should be carried out by external experts.
The humpback whale is still lying in shallow water off the Baltic Sea coast of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. According to authorities, the whale had appeared repeatedly on the Baltic Sea coast since the beginning of March, initially in the port of Wismar.
The humpback whale was stranded on a sandbank off Timmendorfer Strand (Schleswig-Holstein) on the night of March 23rd. The animal managed to leave the shallow water after helpers dug a channel. On Saturday he was spotted in shallow water off Wismar. On Monday evening he swam off from there again. But since Tuesday afternoon it has been known that he is stuck again.
Sources used:
- Press conference on April 1, 2026
- With material from the dpa news agency
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