Robert Marc Lehmann has made a name for himself primarily as a cameraman and photographer in animal documentaries.Image: keystone
The drama surrounding the humpback whale is expanding into a dispute among experts. Marine biologist Robert Marc Lehmann gets emotional in a video.
March 29, 2026, 10:27 amMarch 29, 2026, 12:06 p.m
Thomas Wanhoff / t-online
The marine biologist Robert Marc Lehmann has heavily criticized those responsible for the rescue operation for the humpback whale on Timmendorf Beach. On Instagram, the expert, who was initially involved in the rescue operations, particularly criticized the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAF).
You shouldn’t stress or put pressure on the whale, said Lehmann. The actual rescue begins when the animal swims freely. That was only done at the beginning. “You have to be able to read the whale extremely well. You have to understand whales. “You have to understand what you’re doing,” he said.
“You have to be able to read the whale extremely well. You have to understand whales.”
Marine biologist Robert Marc Lehmann
His plan to get the whale off the beach initially worked, Lehmann said. He spontaneously got on a boat and was able to keep the marine mammal from getting stranded again. But then he was excluded from the rescue operation.
Video: watson/nina bürge
According to his own statements, Lehmann is a trained marine biologist and research diver, but has made a name for himself primarily as a cameraman and photographer in animal documentaries.
Let it lie down or put it to sleep?
He and his team had prepared for a week-long campaign. “I would have guided him into the Atlantic,” said Lehmann in the video. The fact that the whale got stranded again “makes me really sick.”
“The whale’s suffering as it lies there can be extremely prolonged.”
Marine biologist Robert Marc Lehmann
The marine biologist currently sees three options: “One is another rescue mission from the responsible experts or leave him there and let him die and let nature take its course.” Lehmann sees the third option as euthanizing the whale. “The whale’s suffering when it lies there can be extremely prolonged,” says the biologist. The whale was obviously weak and sick. “The seagulls have started pecking at him when he comes out.”
The problem with euthanasia is that there is currently no reliable method of killing the whale “humanely”. It would be “extremely painful” for the animal. He would first be paralyzed and then “give him a heart attack.” Another option is a targeted shot, but that is not easy. Or finally, an explosive device could be attached.
“I’m super sad, but I was also prepared for it.”
Marine biologist Robert Marc Lehmann
“I’m super sad, but I was also prepared for it,” said Lehmann. He is disappointed with the way people are treated. “I am of the opinion that whale experts wear wetsuits and are on the animal.”
New rescue attempts planned for Sunday
After the humpback whale stranded again on the Baltic Sea, there could be new rescue attempts on Sunday. “If the animal has not freed itself by tomorrow, the experts on site will try to gently nudge the whale and move it towards deeper water,” said Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s Environment Minister Till Backhaus (SPD). There is a deeper channel very close to the whale, and it is possible that the whale moves there on its own. “We want to give him time to do that overnight.”
“If the animal has not freed itself by tomorrow, the experts on site will try to gently nudge the whale and move it towards deeper water.”
Till Backhaus, Environment Minister of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
The humpback whale got loose from a sandbank near Timmendorfer Strand on Friday night, but got stranded again and is now lying on a sandbank in Wismar Bay. Backhaus called for the whale to be left alone. The water police will prevent unauthorized persons from approaching the animal. “I ask again that you refrain from such attempts and pass the whale at least 500 meters away.”
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