04/16/2026, 09:03April 16, 2026, 4:46 p.m
A rescue operation for the humpback whale stranded off the German Baltic Sea coast began on Thursday and has already been postponed until Friday. An overview of the measures:
The rescue operation live
The action started after 11 a.m. At midday, six helpers approach the humpback whale stranded near Wismar in the waist-deep water of the Baltic Sea. First you spray water on the large animal with your hands.
Before they leave again, they place a cloth on the whale, but it only covers a small part of it – more cloths will follow. These are the first steps of a private rescue operation that numerous people in Germany are following with fascination.
In the best case scenario, Timmy can be transported away on Friday morning.
This is how the action progresses
The details of the plans are not publicly known. When following the live streams from a great distance, some question marks remain as to what exactly the helpers are doing there. Authorities in the northeast German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania approved a private rescue mission on Wednesday.
The fate of whale Timmy moves Germany.Image: keystone
Accordingly, an attempt should be made to place air cushions under the animal and lift it gently. To do this, silt should first be washed away from underneath it. The whale will then be stored on a tarpaulin between two pontoons and transported to the North Sea or the Atlantic. A tug is supposed to pull the pontoons.
Heavy equipment arrived
The heavy equipment for what will probably be the last attempt to rescue the stranded humpback whale arrives at 1:30 p.m. A convoy of several trucks brings huge pontoons into the small port of Kirchdorf on the island of Poel, which is closed by the police. From there, the humpback whale in the Bay of Wismar can hardly be seen with the naked eye. But he has been lying there for the 17th day, seriously ill. Trying to save him alive is a complex and daring undertaking.
Around two kilometers from Kirchdorf, the first camera teams took up position on the banks of the Kirchsee early in the morning. Little happens for hours. “We have to get to work first,” says a member of the privately initiated organization team. At the berm in Kirchdorf, where there is coffee, fish rolls and fried fish, many people follow the comings and goings of journalists and police cars.
Rescue continues on Friday
According to one of the initiators of the campaign, most of the preparations were completed later on Thursday afternoon:
“The equipment is still being set up today. But otherwise it won’t continue until Friday.”
The reason for this is that “unfortunately we lost a lot of time” in the morning.
These people are behind the project
The concept is to be implemented by a private initiative, which, according to the Ministry of the Environment in Schwerin, is responsible for the campaign. Without this attempt, the whale will die in any case, Mediamarkt founder Walter Gunz told the German Press Agency (dpa). “If you try something, then you at least have a chance of saving him.”
In addition to Gunz, the entrepreneur Karin Walter-Mommert, who is known from equestrian sports, is also behind the concept. “We don’t have a chance, but we’re taking it,” the entrepreneur told the dpa. They knew that the rescue attempt could be fatal. “But it’s better to have an ending with horror than a horror without end.” Then that is nature. “But this situation now is unbearable for all of Germany, for people with empathy and heart.”
Timmy’s health is not good.Image: keystone
These are the reactions
Marine biologist Boris Culik assesses the current rescue attempt as positive. He considers the measures planned to be very promising, said Culik, who formerly worked at the Geomar Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research in Kiel. “Well, you can definitely swim it up with it.”
Still, whether the whale survives is another question, Culik said. Because the main problem of the remaining net in his mouth remains. “If you don’t free him from it, how will he feed himself and regain his strength?”
The environmental organization Greenpeace is not taking part in the planned rescue operation for the humpback whale.
“We do not support the rescue operation because, according to all the information we have, this whale is sick and severely weakened,” said a spokeswoman when asked by the German Press Agency (dpa).
According to scientific reports from the German Oceanographic Museum and the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, the animal’s chances of success if rescued alive are very low and are associated with a high risk of injury.
This had happened before
The fate of the humpback whale stranded off the city of Wismar has been affecting many people for weeks. The humpback whale has been lying in about 1.50 meters of water off Poel since March 31st.
Finally, everything looked like the whale’s journey would end off the island of Poel. Experts had explained that the sick and weakened animal could not be helped in any meaningful way. It was best to let him die in peace and dignity. At a press conference in Schwerin on Wednesday, Backhaus announced a U-turn.
He therefore gave the green light for a rescue concept that envisages recovering the whale alive and bringing it to the North Sea and, if necessary, the Atlantic. “In this respect, a new situation is now occurring,” said Backhaus. He is still cautious, but “pretty happy”.
(dab/leo/hkl/sda/dpa)