Rescuers freed a humpback whale that had been stuck on a sandbank off Germany’s Baltic coast at Timmendorfer Strand after several days of unsuccessful attempts.
The 12 to 15-metre (39 to 49-foot) animal, likely a young male—humpbacks are not native to the Baltic and young males are the ones that typically migrate—was first noticed on Monday. Initial efforts to move it failed. By Thursday, teams used heavy machinery to dig a channel to the sea, working slowly so the whale would not be startled by the noise.
As rescuers continued to encourage it, the whale began responding with its own humming sounds. Marine biologist Robert Marc Lehmann told local media the humpback had “gathered its strength” overnight and freed itself by its own efforts. Overnight and into Friday, the whale used the dug channel to return to deeper water and was later spotted swimming in the Bay of Lübeck, south of Denmark.
Accompanied by police, coast guard, volunteer and research vessels, the whale is now making the long, complex journey past the Danish islands, through the North Sea and toward the Atlantic Ocean. Diggers and a large team of rescuers and animal specialists had been involved in the operation, which aimed to guide the whale safely back to open waters without causing it additional stress.
Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko