Humpback Whale Stranded in Baltic Sea: Experts See No Hope

Water samples are to be taken on Sunday near the dying humpback whale stranded off the Baltic Sea coast to assess the condition of the animal. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's Environment Minister Till Backhaus (SPD) will be informed about the current situation on the island of Poel north of Wismar in the afternoon, according to his ministry. He has instructed authorities to "check the water on site for its salt content," Backhaus explained.

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According to the ministry, the whale's situation is "unchanged." The previous day, Backhaus had stated that the stranded whale breathes "every four to five minutes and also makes sounds." Authorities and experts see no hope for the humpback whale. It is assumed that it will die on site. A 500-meter exclusion zone has therefore been established around the animal.

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Low-Salt Water Damage

"We know that the low-salt water has already severely damaged the animal," Backhaus explained. "But we need reliable data and that is what we want to obtain today." The approximately twelve to 15 meters long humpback whale had been wandering through the Baltic Sea for around four weeks, according to authorities.

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Last Monday, the animal initially stranded on a sandbank off the Schleswig-Holstein coast. After it was freed there with excavators, it has been stuck since Saturday off Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in Wismar Bay.

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On Monday evening, the increasingly weakened and likely sick animal had once again managed to free itself from the seabed and disappeared for a few hours before returning to Wismar Bay on Tuesday and running aground again off Poel.

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