May 21, 2026, 11:17 amMay 21, 2026, 11:17 am
The Danes want to drag the carcass of the humpback whale known as “Timmy” off the holiday island of Anholt to a port in Jutland. The background: He is currently lying in shallow water on a well-visited beach and, according to the environmental authority, could cause a lot of nuisance to residents and tourists.
Whale Timmy is now bloated.screenshot: news5
That’s why they want to try to pull the whale into the port of Grenaa on the mainland on Thursday, the authorities told the German Press Agency. The action will probably last all day. The whale could then be autopsied on Friday.
It is easier to process the carcass in the harbor: “In Grenaa, scientists and veterinarians will carry out the examinations and sample taking, as was done in previous strandings of larger whales.” The press is allowed to follow the work on the animal there – behind barriers, because “machines and sharp equipment” are used, according to the authorities. If it is not possible to move the whale into the harbor, the Danes want to examine it on Anholt.
The Danish Environment Agency had already warned against approaching the animal because of the risk of infection. The carcass could also explode: Pictures from the live stream provider News5 showed that it was now extremely bloated with putrefactive gases.
Locals want to get rid of whale carcasses quickly
According to the islanders, the whale should disappear today rather than tomorrow. “It is a great wish of the locals that the whale be transported away as soon as possible so that it does not disturb holidaymakers,” said Pia Lange Christensen, director of the tourism organization Visit Aarhus, which is also responsible for the island of Anholt, to the German Press Agency. The season has just started. “In the next few weeks, more and more tourists will come to the island, which is a very popular holiday destination.”
For Denmark, as a country with many coasts, it is not unusual for whales to get stranded from time to time, said Christensen. “And it usually doesn’t take long for the authorities to remove the animals.”
The weakened animal had previously been stranded on the German Baltic Sea coast several times. A few weeks ago, a private initiative transported it to the North Sea while it was still alive and released it. The whale was later washed up dead off Anholt. There he is now presenting the Danes with challenges. As a tourism organization, you can also draw something positive from the matter, said Pia Lange Christensen from Visit Aarhus: “At least the whale brought Anholt attention.” (dab/sda/dpa)