Humpback whale, nicknamed ‘Timmy’, who ended up in the Baltic Sea by mistake, is stuck once again after beaching on Poel Island.
The situation remains serious. On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the State Environment Ministry in Schwerin stated that the whale was found beached off the coast of Poel Island in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. While the whale was reportedly breathing and moving, it was immobile.
Volunteers from the environmental organisation Greenpeace planned to observe the animal from a boat over the course of the morning, after which the situation would be re-evaluated, the ministry spokesperson said.
The whale had freed itself on Monday evening following several days trapped in the Bay of Wismar. On Tuesday afternoon, it stranded again in shallower water. Overall, the prognosis for the animal is “not good,” the Schwerin Ministry of the Environment and environmental activists explained on Tuesday evening. While the situation remains “critical”, they stressed that they remain hopeful the whale will be able to become mobile again on its own.
According to authorities, the 12 to 15-metre-long humpback whale ended up in the Baltic Sea by mistake about four weeks ago. Last Monday, the animal beached for the first time off the coast of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. After excavators were called in to free the whale, it became stuck again on Saturday in Wismar Bay, off Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
On Monday evening, the animal managed to free itself again after experts approached it more closely and used acoustic stimuli to encourage it to move. On Tuesday, the whale disappeared for several hours before reappearing in Wismar Bay.
Larger whales are not native to the Baltic Sea, as the conditions are unsuitable for them. The whale, named ‘Timmy’ by the media, is suffering from significant skin issues due to the low salt content in the Baltic Sea, according to experts. There are also nets stuck in the whale’s mouth, which have so far only been partially removed.
