The Danish biologist Peter Teglberg Madsen calls the treatment of the whale “irresponsible”. Image: keystone
May 28, 2026, 2:33 p.mMay 28, 2026, 2:33 p.m
The carcass of the humpback whale known as Timmy will now remain on the Danish island of Anholt and will be autopsied directly on the beach. The animal has been lying there in shallow water for around two weeks. “The whale will be pulled ashore over the course of this weekend,” said Jane Hansen from the Danish Environment Agency. The autopsy, scientific examinations and disposal of the carcass are scheduled to take place at the end of next week.
The Danes first tried to pull the whale, which was bloated with putrefactive gases, into deeper water and then bring it to a harbor. But the attempt failed last week. “The weather was not favorable for transport to the port of Grenaa, and the whale moved and is now even closer to land,” said Hansen. “At the same time, the whale continues to cause a lot of disruption on the beach and therefore has to be removed.”
Carcasses can transmit viruses and bacteria
The environmental authority once again called on residents and bathers to stay away from the animal. The area around the whale will be cordoned off. “It is important that this is respected because there is still a risk of infection,” said the authority. Meanwhile, according to the Environment Ministry of the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the transmitter that was formerly attached to the whale will soon be evaluated.
“The tracker is currently being picked up from Denmark and then handed over to us,” wrote a ministry spokesman when asked. “The data should then be evaluated.” How long that will take is unclear. The Danish biologist Peter Teglberg Madsen will also be present at the autopsy. The 50-year-old is one of the most renowned whale researchers in Denmark and criticized the way the stranded whale was treated early on.
Biologist speaks of animal cruelty
In an interview with the German magazine “Spiegel” He says that the whale was already doomed to die before it was supposedly rescued, and calls the action “animal cruelty”:
“Imagine if you grabbed a person on his deathbed who has already said goodbye to his relatives, threw him in a wheelbarrow, drove around for two days, dumped him in the forest and shouted jubilantly: You are free.”
The biologist also warns against approaching the whale. The situation is also not without danger for the team carrying out the autopsy, as without appropriate protective clothing there is a high chance of becoming infected with viruses and bacteria. For safety reasons, they would first have to degas the inflated animal with a scalpel attached to a long rod, the whale expert told the “Spiegel”: “There is a risk of an explosion, in which kilo-heavy chunks of meat will fly through the air, which can kill you.”
Did Timmy get caught in fishing nets?
The experts hope that the autopsy will provide clarity about the reasons for the humpback whale’s stranding. Madsen sees a possible cause in the pollution of the seas by fishing nets: “If a whale runs aground several times, it is usually seriously ill. He got caught in a net, so he probably couldn’t eat anything and was weakened.”
At the same time, Madsen wants to use the public to draw attention to the dangers posed by fishing nets to animals and the environment: “Everyone who has been affected by the death of the whale can get involved. You can donate money to environmental protection organizations, volunteer or take political action to remove so-called ghost nets.”
(sda/dpa/jul)