Helpers try to moisten the humpback whale’s skin with cloths (April 17, 2026).Image: Getty Images Europe
April 17, 2026, 9:35 p.mApril 17, 2026, 9:35 p.m
In the evening it became quiet around the humpback whale that was stranded off the island of Poel. The animal lay in the water without any major movements. In the afternoon, helpers in protective suits waded through belly-deep water – others repeatedly moistened the body of the multi-ton humpback whale with wet towels. Seagulls also landed on the whale every now and then.
On the second day, the private rescue operation of the stranded humpback whale was also in full swing. The planned rescue attempt will start on Saturday at the earliest. The test flushes began on Friday, said the head of the diving company commissioned by the private initiative, Fred Babbel. “Then we’ll get everything in position so that everything will be fixed in the evening and then we’ll continue tomorrow morning.”
Previously, a large pallet with a tarpaulin had been brought to the port of Kirchdorf in the afternoon. According to the rescue initiative, the large marine mammal should be transported on a tarpaulin. It is still unclear when exactly the rescue will begin. The schedule must be based on the animal’s well-being, said an employee from the private initiative team.
Swimming platform now close to the whale
A dredger left the port of Kirchdorf on the island at midday and took up position at sea near the large marine mammal in the early afternoon. This is located in a bay on the island.
In the morning, the humpback whale reacted violently to an approaching diver. The animal flapped its tail fin, or fluke, violently and rotated nearly 90 degrees, as seen in live streams. After a few minutes the whale calmed down again and lay still in the water again. The helpers later took a boat to the whale again and replaced the wet towels on the whale’s back, as seen on live media streams.
In the morning, employees of the Ministry of the Environment and the State Office for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Geology (LUNG) also went out to the whale in a police rubber boat.
Onlookers and camera teams on site
Preparations for the renewed rescue operation for the stranded whale off Poel near Wismar had already started in the morning. Helpers had prepared a large work platform on the quay wall at the port of Kirchdorf, which contained, among other things, hoses, a pump, a mobile crane and work equipment. Several small floating pontoons were also available on land.
Some camera teams came to the port town – around 30 onlookers were also there at times to follow the rescue operation.
Whale has been stuck for more than two weeks
The weakened whale has been lying in the same position in the Kirchsee in the Wismar Bay for the 18th day.
After extensive examination, scientists, experts from authorities and employees of non-governmental organizations recently agreed that the whale needed rest and that further interventions would cause massive damage to the animal. The humpback whale is disoriented and so weak and damaged that it will not be able to make the journey home.
Head of the seal center: Whale has a chance
Contrary to these expert assessments, the private rescue initiative team was optimistic on Friday. The animal, which has been lying there for more than two weeks, has a real chance of getting away, said Janine Bahr-van Gemmert, small animal veterinarian and head of a seal center on Föhr, in the port of Kirchdorf on Poel. “We are trying, in the interests of the animal, to free this animal from this predicament without stress.”
She took the whale’s violent movements in the morning with powerful blows of the tail fin, the fluke, as a good sign. “He almost rolled back and forth a bit when he turned around today.” That’s a sign that he doesn’t have any major injuries. The whale shows that it wants to move. The vet further said that the whale could not die in peace at its current location. The environment is completely untypical for him.
Mediamarkt founder: Action is delayed
The private rescue attempt for the stranded whale off the Baltic Sea island of Poel near Wismar has been delayed. “We are a day behind,” said Mediamarkt founder Walter Gunz to the German Press Agency. He is financing the campaign together with the entrepreneur Karin Walter-Mommert.
Gunz said that part of the program could not be carried out on Thursday, the first day of the rescue attempt. The original plan is obviously no longer viable.
When announcing the private campaign on Wednesday, Environment Minister Till Backhaus (SPD) said that the initiative planned to flush the whale free on Thursday and that the animal could then set off on its journey to the Atlantic on Friday.
The animal is to be transported on a tarpaulin between two pontoons towards the North Sea. The tarpaulin must first be placed under the animal. To do this, it should be lifted with air cushions, for which the silt must first be washed away. The pontoons are supposed to be pulled by a tug on a long line.
The pontoons should be arranged in such a way that an open space of six by twelve meters is created inside. “The whale will be in there,” said Babbel. He has the impression that the whale is doing quite well at the moment. (sda/dpa)