Berlin– carrying a barge a humpback whale that was stranded Have started their journey towards the North Sea in shallow waters near Germany since March. German officials said it reached Danish waters on Wednesday.
Nickname Timmy By German media, the whale was spotted swimming near Germany’s Baltic Sea coast on March 3, far from its natural habitat in the Atlantic Ocean. The mammal’s health deteriorated as it repeatedly became stuck in shallow water, and unsuccessful attempts to move it towards deeper sea were livestreamed around the world.
Rescuers pulled the whale to a water-filled barge on Tuesday, using straps and a pre-dug channel to make a path to the ship, German press agency dpa reported.
The barge is now expected to sail past the northern tip of Denmark and through the Skagerrak Strait towards the North Sea.
“There has never before been such a life-saving operation in Germany,” Till Backhaus, minister of climate protection, agriculture, rural areas and the environment for the federal state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, told a news conference. “And it was an experiment, and the experiment was successful, and that’s wonderful.”
The minister said the whale was resting peacefully and made sounds on Tuesday night, which meant it was doing well.
The minister gave the green light to the latest attempt to save the whales, proposed by a private initiative, despite some warnings from the scientific community that it might be too much for the animal.
Discussion Discussions have been going on for weeks about whether to let it die peacefully or try to assist its return to the Atlantic Ocean. Activists have protested on the beach in Wismar calling for its liberation, while others have supported new ideas About how whales can be taken.
Greenpeace marine biologist Thilo Mak told The Associated Press earlier this month that efforts to save Timmy are putting the animal under severe stress.
“I believe the whales will soon die out. And I would also like to raise the question: What’s really so bad about it?” He said. “Yes, animals live, animals die. This animal is actually very, very, very sick. And he has decided to rest.”
Some scientists believe that the whale specifically sought out shallow waters because it was weak and needed rest. However, private initiative veterinarians consider the animal suitable for transportation.
