The humpback whale Timmy, who has been stranded several times in the Baltic, has finally swam into the North Sea

A humpback whale that has been stranded several times in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Germany since early March has swum into the North Sea. It has abandoned the barge it was being transported on.

Der Spiegel writes about this.

The multi-day operation to rescue the whale, nicknamed Timmy (after the Timmendorfer Strand resort, near which it first became stranded in shallow water), was followed across Germany and beyond.

On April 28, volunteers were able to load the whale onto a converted, water-filled barge using fire hoses. The barge has been transporting the whale from the Baltic Sea to the North Sea in recent days, accompanied by marine biologists and activists. The whale suffered minor injuries during the transport.

On the morning of May 2, when the whaleʼs protective net was removed, Timmy swam off the barge. At first, no one noticed, but later the whale was seen in the sea not far from the barge.

It is not yet known whether the animal will survive. The whale is very exhausted after being stranded in shallow water for a long time. It will only be considered rescued if it behaves naturally for its species for weeks, its skin heals, it starts eating and finds its way to the Atlantic Ocean. The whale has hundreds of kilometers to travel to return to its natural habitat.

Der Spiegel notes that before the whale was released, it was supposed to be fitted with a GPS sensor. It is not yet clear whether this was done and whether the device works.

• A nearly 12-meter-long young humpback whale has been stranded in the Baltic Sea several times since the beginning of March. The animal has been rescued several times on its own or with the help of rescuers.
• At the end of March, the whale got stranded again and has been lying practically motionless since March 31, making no attempt to get out. As a result, the authorities called off the rescue operation and allowed private volunteers to try again to help the animal, taking responsibility for the whaleʼs fate.

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