Two private investors funded the latest rescue following multiple unsuccessful attempts
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/humpback-whale-in-the-Baltic-Sea-042926-c0c52adae8f049b7bfe986839f8ac061.jpg "The whale lies in a flooded cargo ship just before the Danish border on Wednesday morning (photo taken from an airplane).")
Credit: Philip Dulian/picture alliance via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Timmy the humpback whale was rescued after weeks of being stuck in shallow waters off Germany’s Baltic coastline
- A rescue mission funded by two private investors transported Timmy to deeper waters near Denmark
- Local officials say the unique rescue operation was a groundbreaking success
After multiple attempts to rescue Timmy, a humpback whale stuck in the shallow waters off Germany's Baltic coastline for weeks, the young whale is returning to deep, open ocean water.
According to Euronews and The Associated Press, on Tuesday, April 28, animal first responders strapped the male whale, affectionately known online as Timmy, onto a specialized boat to carry the large mammal through a channel to reach a barge near the island of Poel. From there, Timmy was loaded into the barge and then carried into deeper waters. German officials confirmed that Timmy reached Danish waters in the North Sea by April 29.
The successful complex rescue mission was proposed and funded by two private investors, according to Reuters.
Credit: Jens Büttner/picture alliance via Getty
"Something like this has never happened before in Germany, where a life-saving operation of this kind has been carried out," Till Backhaus, minister for climate protection, agriculture, rural areas, and the environment of the federal state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, said in a press conference. "This was an experiment, and the experiment was a success, and that's wonderful."
Timmy, named after Timmendorfer Strand, was first spotted in shallow waters of the Baltic Sea, off the coast of Niendorf in Lübeck Bay (northern Germany), far from its natural habitat in March. Hotel guests in the area reportedly heard the animal's distress calls and contacted local authorities for assistance. Initial rescue attempts using inflatable boats and firefighter drones to guide the whale back out to sea were unsuccessful. Rescue crews tried to dislodge the whale from its stranded position by creating waves near Timmy with passing boats. Those efforts were futile, too.
Sea Shepherd expert Sven Biertümpfel expressed concern for Timmy's health and safety early on, stating, "If the whale can't get off the beach, it's a death sentence for the animal."
Credit: Danny Gohlke / AFP via Getty
Despite the prognosis, crews briefly freed Timmy in late March, but the whale became trapped again, on March 28, near Wismar Bay. Experts were split on whether it was more humane to continue potentially stress-inducing rescue efforts or let the whale be.
At one point, local officials reported that the animal could not be saved due to safety concerns and transportation complications. However, after animal advocates and locals pushed for Timmy's freedom, the benefactors of the successful rescue mission stepped forward.
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While some criticized Backhaus for allowing another rescue attempt, the minister stood by his decision, stating that it was "definitely worth it," adding, "I've always said, 'Those who do nothing, make no mistakes.'"