The humpback whale repeatedly stranded in the Baltic Sea is now swimming in the North Sea. According to Karin Walter-Mommert from the private rescue initiative, the animal left the barge with which the whale had been towed to the North Sea on Saturday morning at approximately 8:45 AM. The animal is now swimming independently and freely and at least initially in the right direction.
The entrepreneur behind the private rescue initiative further stated that the whale was observed making a so-called blow, the characteristic exhalation of whales after a dive. It initially swam northwest, which is the best route to reach the Norwegian west coast and then move along this coast toward the Arctic.
No impairments were observed. The animal had only sustained minor injuries in the barge during heavy seas, but these are not serious. The whale's course will continue to be tracked via GPS signal. The departure from the barge apparently occurred relatively unprepared. Another examination of the animal had actually been planned.
Dubbed "Timmy" by the German media, the whale was first spotted stuck on a sandbank on March 23 near the city of Lübeck before freeing itself and then becoming stuck again several times. At the start of April, German officials gave up on trying to rescue the animal, saying they believed it could not be saved. But this triggered an outcry and authorities were persuaded to approve a privately financed rescue plan proposed by two wealthy entrepreneurs.
The barge idea was hatched after their initial attempt to save the whale with inflatable cushions and pontoons was unsuccessful. The rescue effort was seen as a long shot and criticised by experts who said it would only cause the animal more distress.
The whale was directed into the water-filled barge by the rescue initiative on Tuesday in an action that was controversial among experts. This was then towed by a tugboat along with the animal through Danish waters to the North Sea. Live footage from the streaming service News5 showed the empty barge.
The mammal, native to the Atlantic, had been wandering off the German Baltic coast since early March and became stranded multiple times, also becoming entangled in nets. For around four weeks, it lay aground in a side arm of Wismar Bay near the island of Poel.
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