A humpback whale that had been stuck in two locations in the Baltic Sea for more than a week began to swim again Monday evening, though rescuers said the animal showed clear signs of worsening health throughout the day.
Water in Wismar Bay rose by about 30 centimeters Monday evening, creating an opportunity for the whale to float free. Rescuers were preparing to encourage it to move. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania environment minister Till Backhaus said, “It could now get on its way if it wanted to.” A ministry spokesman said the whale’s direction was unclear; Greenpeace reported it was heading toward Wismar harbor.
Professor Burkhard Baschek of the German Oceanographic Museum called the day potentially decisive, but warned that freeing the animal largely depended on the whale itself and that options for outside assistance were limited. He said the whale had moved only about 1 to 1.5 meters in the previous 24 hours despite an earlier rise in water levels that might have allowed it to reposition.
Greenpeace campaigner Franziska Saalmann said the whale was notably less responsive than on earlier days. “When we gently tried to reanimate it, by striking the water loudly with our paddle, it barely reacted,” she told reporters. “It’s not making any more noises. This lack of movement and reaction to our presence shows that it’s simply very weak and getting weaker.”
Baschek reported a marked decline in the animal’s condition, saying it was breathing roughly once every four minutes — a “massive reduction” — and that its skin showed signs of secondary infections. He added that if a clear, simple escape opportunity presented itself and the whale could not take it, euthanasia to end its suffering might eventually have to be considered, though he said that point had not yet been reached.
The whale was first stranded on a sandbank off a Timmendorf beach early last week. After days of dredging to open a path, it freed itself and began moving north. While attempting to navigate the shallow passages and bottlenecks of the Baltic toward the North Sea, it veered east and became stranded again off Wismar Bay.
Marine biologist Robert Marc Lehmann, who was at the initial site in Timmendorf, criticized the later rescue operations, saying he had been excluded from subsequent efforts and urging rescuers in Wismar to don wetsuits and wade out to the animal as he had. Backhaus said he had been “in contact” with Lehmann and preferred to resolve differences through cooperation, urging the public to show “respect” for experts on site. He said he did not see any shortcomings in the work of the German Oceanographic Museum, Greenpeace and others involved.
Authorities believe the whale likely first lost its way and entered the Baltic Sea in early March.