Timmy, a 40-foot humpback whale that had been stranded in shallow waters for several weeks, was released into the North Sea on Saturday. First spotted stuck on a sandbank on March 23 near the city of Lübeck, the whale freed itself and then became stranded multiple times before the final rescue.
Saturday’s operation — the fifth staged attempt to move Timmy into deeper water — was funded by two German millionaires who commissioned a large, water-filled barge to transport the whale. Footage of Timmy’s release shows the whale blowing spurts of water as it swam into open water, and social media comments were full of well-wishes for the animal.
Some experts cautioned that Timmy’s health may have been so compromised that returning him to open waters could merely delay an inevitable death and prolong suffering. The International Whaling Commission repeatedly criticized interventions, saying such efforts can impose significant additional stress on an already gravely ill animal. After the release, the IWC acknowledged the technical, logistical and financial effort involved but warned that release is only the start of any recovery process, not its conclusion. The group said a true rescue will depend on whether Timmy can swim, survive the physiological effects of prolonged stranding and transport, return to suitable habitat, resume normal feeding and regain health.
Tagging data from a transmitter attached to Timmy before release will provide information on how well he fares in the wild and help guide future rescue decisions.