April 6, 2026, 10:20April 6, 2026, 10:20
The condition of the humpback whale stranded off the German Baltic Sea island of Poel remains unchanged as of early Easter Monday. According to authorities, the whale is still breathing regularly every two to four minutes.
Humpback whale “Timmy” is still lying off the German Baltic Sea island of Poel.Image: keystone
The responsible environment ministry of the eastern German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania said the police were on site at night to observe the marine mammal, which had been stranded since Tuesday.
However, there is a glimmer of hope again: the Environment Ministry is now examining whether the animal could be picked up by a catamaran and taken to deeper water. The prerequisite for this is a health report on the whale, which is expected to be available on Tuesday, as to whether it has any chance of survival, said Environment Minister Till Backhaus in an interview with the News5 channel on Easter Sunday. But at the moment he is “really, really bad”.
According to the minister, the whale not only suffers from the low salinity of the Baltic Sea, which, among other things, has consequences for the marine mammal’s skin. He also had injuries that probably came from ship propellers. Remains of nets were also found on his body.
Catamaran could accommodate the twelve-ton whale
The catamaran is available in Denmark and can accommodate the twelve-ton whale, Backhaus said. The idea: “Straps 80 centimeters to 1 meter wide are flushed under the whale, very carefully so as not to harm the whale,” said Backhaus. The animal should then be lifted very carefully and placed on a net “in order to then transport it alive”.
The humpback whale had settled off the German Baltic Sea coast four times since the beginning of March. He managed to swim again three times. He couldn’t find the way to the Atlantic, which would have likely saved him. The marine mammal was first spotted in the harbor of Wismar, and later on Timmendorfer Strand in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Ultimately he was stranded off Wismar on Tuesday. (hkl/sda/dpa)