July 27, 2026, 1:35 p.mJuly 27, 2026, 1:35 p.m
A whale has appeared again in the harbor of Wismar on the German Baltic Sea coast. “The animal was reported to the Wismar water police inspection by the Wismar harbor authority at around 9 a.m. and has been under observation since then,” said the Schwerin Ministry of the Environment. It is not yet possible to say conclusively what species of whale it is. The size can only be estimated so far. “According to initial observations, the whale is around eight meters long.”
A whale was spotted near Wismar.Image: www.imago-images.de
At the beginning of March, the humpback whale, later known as “Timmy,” appeared in the harbor of Wismar. His subsequent fate, including extensive rescue attempts, caused an international stir.
Then, in mid-July, another large whale was seen off the Schleswig-Holstein coast, around Heiligenhafen. And last Friday, the Schleswig-Holstein Ministry of the Environment confirmed the sighting of a humpback whale in the Flensburg Fjord. According to the information, this was probably an animal that had previously been observed in Scotland, Denmark and the Kiel Fjord. But it remained unclear whether it was the same animal as at Heiligenhafen.
Unclear whether whale has been spotted before
A spokeswoman for the German Oceanographic Museum said it is not yet possible to say whether the whale now spotted in Wismar is an animal that has been seen before. We are monitoring the situation.
According to the Schwerin Ministry of the Environment, the whale appeared to be vital based on previous findings. “He appears and disappears regularly.” The water police are on duty. “The aim of all measures is to enable the animal to return to deeper waters without any disruption and to prevent the animal from becoming stranded or endangering the animal in any other way.” Recreational boat operators and water sports enthusiasts are asked to avoid contact with the animal and to keep their distance as much as possible.
Great attention for “Timmy”
On March 3rd, a large whale, later identified as a humpback whale, appeared in Wismar. He was later stranded several times, for example off Timmendorfer Strand and later off the island of Poel. In a controversial operation, a private initiative initially rescued the whale, known to many people as “Timmy,” using a kind of barge at the end of April and released it into the North Sea at the beginning of May.
In mid-May, a dead whale was discovered off the Danish island of Anholt, which was identified as the humpback whale that had previously been stranded in Germany using a transmitter attached to the animal. (dab/sda/dpa)