Stranded whale ferried out of German waters in barge
More than five weeks after a humpback whale became stranded in shallow waters on the German coast, a barge has ferried the animal out of German waters, en route to the North Sea. Once the transport ship Fortuna B towing the whale left German waters, it headed through the Baltic Sea into Danish waters with the aim of sailing north and eventually around the north Danish coast of Jutland, through the Skagerrak strait towards the North Sea. It is known to have suffered skin damage because of the lack of salinity in the waters along Germany's Baltic Sea coast and WDC said its skin would need to fully recover and it would need to start finding food independently for any rescue to be considered a success.
Marine biologist Fabian Ritter was more positive, telling German press agency DPA that it clearly had a "will to live", but he warned that this type of rescue mission was unprecedented: "We don't know what effect this will have on the whale." The German Oceanographic Museum warned that the whale was at risk of drowning because it was so weak. When a channel was eventually dug for the whale to swim free, it went further east along the coast to Wismar Bay and by the end of March he ended up in a shallow area off the island of Poel, where it remained until Tuesday's rescue. Some among the rescue team and German media have given the whale nicknames: either Timmy, after the beach where he first stopped on the German coast in late March, or Hope.
Analysis: Why This Matters
Watching how North Sea evolves is important: international stories tend to set the tone for the news cycle ahead.
Key Takeaways
- Although it was first spotted early last month, it was on 23 March that it first became stranded on Timmendorfer Beach in Lübeck Bay.
- Some among the rescue team and German media have given the whale nicknames: either Timmy, after the beach where he first stopped on the German coast in late March, or Hope.
- Reflecting on the past 24 hours, rescue director Felix Bohnsack said on Wednesday that "the moment Hope swam into the barge was inconceivable; we had tears in our eyes; these are images I will never forget".
Diplomatic and on-the-ground responses are likely in the days ahead — we'll track them closely.
Source: BBC World