A humpback whale, affectionately dubbed “Timmy” by German media, was successfully released into the North Sea on Saturday after months of being stranded in shallow waters off Germany.
The whale was first spotted near Germany’s Baltic Sea coast on 3 March, far from its natural Atlantic habitat. Its health deteriorated as it repeatedly became trapped in the shallows near Wismar, with unsuccessful attempts to guide it to deeper waters livestreamed globally.
The rescue, proposed by a private initiative, received approval from the environment minister for Germany’s Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state. This came despite scientific warnings that the intervention might stress the animal. Jens Schwarck, a member of the private team on site, confirmed the whale’s release around 9 am local time, approximately 70 kilometres (45 miles) off the coast of Skagen, Denmark.
Drone footage showed a whale swimming and spouting water near the barge, though it was not immediately confirmed that the animal was indeed Timmy.
A debate emerged about whether to let the whale die in peace or try to assist its return to the Atlantic Ocean. Activists staged protests on the beach in Wismar calling for its liberation, while others have supported new ideas about how the whale could be transported.
Some scientists believe the whale had searched for shallow waters because it was weak and needed rest. The veterinarians of the private initiative, however, considered the animal fit for transport.
Before the release, a GPS transmitter was reportedly attached to track the whale’s future location, according to dpa.
It is not clear why the whale swam into the Baltic Sea, far from its natural habitat in the Atlantic Ocean. Some experts say the animal may have lost its way while swimming after a shoal of herring or during migration.
Since then, the mammal became repeatedly stranded in shallow waters. It was in clear distress, breathing irregularly and often barely moving for days.
Timmy also suffered from a bad skin condition, related to the Baltic Sea’s low salt content, and rescuers applied kilos (pounds) of zinc ointment.
Local media produced dayslong livestreams to feed the outsized public attention over the fate of the whale. Online newspapers blasted push alerts with the smallest developments about Timmy’s health.