A humpback whale that was rescued after beaching itself in Germany has been found dead near a Danish island. The whale was initially discovered stuck on a sandbank off the island of Poel on Germany's Baltic coast on 23 March. It managed to swim free in early May after a water-filled barge transported it into the North Sea.
Private Rescue Operation
The rescue operation was privately funded by two German entrepreneurs, sparking intense public debate. Critics argued that the effort would only cause the animal distress. Despite the controversy, the operation proceeded, and the whale was fitted with a tracking device.
Discovery of the Carcass
A whale carcass was reportedly spotted on Thursday off the Danish island of Anholt, situated between Denmark and Sweden. Authorities were initially unable to confirm if it was the same whale. However, on Saturday, the Danish Environmental Protection Agency announced that conditions allowed for the whale's identity to be verified and its tracking device retrieved.
The agency stated that there are no concrete plans to remove the whale from the area or to perform a necropsy, and it is not currently considered a problem. However, they emphasized that people should not approach the whale due to potential disease transmission.
Background of the Stranding
The whale, nicknamed “Timmy” or “Hope” by rescuers and German media, first became stranded on Timmendorfer Beach in Lübeck Bay on 23 March. It initially freed itself but became stuck again several times. German authorities made multiple rescue attempts before announcing they were giving up.
Entrepreneurs Karin Walter-Mommert and Walter Gunz later funded a private rescue, coaxing the whale onto a water-filled transport ship called Fortuna B. Till Backhaus, the environment minister of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, hailed the operation as a success and an example of what can be achieved in Germany.
