A humpback whale that was stranded on Germany’s Baltic coast has been coaxed into a water-filled barge which rescuers hope will allow its release into deeper waters and save its life.
In a last-ditch attempt to save “Timmy” from a sandbank near the northern city of Lübeck, where it became beached four weeks ago, rescuers guided the juvenile male onto the barge, which is typically used to transport ships.
Timmy’s plight has gripped the nation’s attention in Germany, amid fears the humpback wouldn’t survive if it was not safely returned to its natural habitat in the North Sea.
German outlet Bild, which has been granted exclusive access to the operation, reported that Timmy is stuck in “heavy rush-hour traffic” as the barge navigates its way through the busy Fehmarn Belt, the waterway separating Germany and Denmark.
Chief driver Fred Babbel told Bild that Timmy is making fast progress. Timmy is currently near Fehmarn,” he explained on Tuesday morning. “He’s only making such good progress because of the excellent weather – no wind.”
But specialists at the German Oceanographic Museum have still voiced concerns that the whale will not be fit enough to return to the open seas after the rescue attempt, which will see straps attached to the whale before it is dragged down a channel dug into the sand to allow it to reach the barge.
“The chances of a successful rescue are very slim due to the animal’s poor state of health and the generally poor prognosis,” the museum said in a statement before the attempt was made.
The attempt would mean a “great deal of stress and a high risk of injury” to the whale and “would result in very high noise levels inside the barge due to the high level of sound reflection,” it added.
The rescue attempt was financed by two millionaires, including Karin Walter-Mommert. “I can’t even say how happy I am,” she told German outlet Bild. “You could see that the whale fought and wanted to live. Knowing he’s now in the barge is simply wonderful and shows that the fight for Timmy was worth it.”
Timmy was first spotted around a month ago in low-saline waters, which whales usually avoid. He is named after Timmendorfer beach, which is near the Baltic island where he has been stranded.
Scientists have said the location suggested the animal was disoriented or ill, as the whale repeatedly ran aground on sandbanks in the weeks that followed its initial sighting.
Officials in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania rejected several public calls for the whale to be euthanised to end its suffering, and said their strategy for rescuing the whale had focused on minimising stress.
Members of the public have sent thousands of emails to authorities, some containing death threats. Meanwhile, activists and other people interested in the case have started setting up camp close to the rescue site.
The humpback whale species is at low risk of extinction, having once been hunted to the brink of extinction.
