Hope lost for saving stranded humpback whale in Baltic Sea
· Toronto Sun
Rescuers have given up hope for a humpback whale that has been stranded repeatedly off Germany’s Baltic Sea coast.
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They now expect the exhausted whale, which has been stuck in the inlet for more than a week, to die where it currently lies.
It was on March 23 when the whale first swam into an inlet on the small island of Poel, near the port of Wismar.
The animal was rescued from even shallower water at Timmendorfer Strand, a resort town around 50 kilometres from its current location, with the help of an excavator, but it ran into trouble again shortly after.
‘A unique tragedy’
“We did everything we could to give it a chance,” Till Backhaus, environment minister for the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where the whale is now weakening, told a press conference.
“This is a unique tragedy. But it chose this path for himself.”
All ideas explored before sad conclusion
The minister noted that they have “explored all ideas” before announcing no further efforts would be made to try to free the animal from the shallow waters.
Authorities have tried different strategies, including giving the mammal peace and quiet so that it could find strength, with little distraction, to swim away on its own, while also approaching it with boats to motivate it to set off.
Officials said that the whale is very weak, barely moving, and its breathing is irregular.
Rescue expert Burkard Baschek echoed Backhaus’ statement, noting that the last time rescuers approached the animal, it barely reacted.
“We would have to encourage it vigorously (to free itself), which would be futile because it no longer has the strength,” Baschek said, noting that any further attempt to move the whale would amount to animal cruelty due to its slim chances of survival.
Citing “respect for nature,” Baschek said that rescuers had decided that “at some point we must let it go.”
He added: “We firmly believe that the animal will die there.”
The whale, nicknamed “Timmy” by German media, was first spotted swimming in the region on March 3.
It is not clear why the whale swam into the Baltic Sea, waters which are ill-suited for the mammal and far from its natural habitat.
Some experts say the animal may have lost its way when it swam after a shoal of herring, or during migration.