A Sad Fate

No Hope Left: Whale “Timmy” Will Die

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01.04.2026 08:31
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Things are not looking good for the humpback whale “Timmy” in the Baltic Sea: Experts have given up hope for the marine mammal. “We firmly believe that the animal will die there,” said Burkard Baschek, an expert involved in the rescue effort.

The time has come to “let him go,” Baschek stated the sad truth at a press conference. Rescue efforts are being suspended. The animal should be left in peace at its current location, said Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s Environment Minister Till Backhaus, who spoke of a very emotional day.

The marine mammal was breathing and moving on Wednesday morning, as observed by the water police. However, the situation remains problematic. “The whale’s position is unfavorable because the water in the area is very shallow, and that will change very little by tomorrow. Additionally, the bay is very winding,” said Backhaus.

No rescue operationoff the co
 A spokesperson for the Ministry of the Environment confirmed that there was no further rescue operation for the humpback whale off Wismar’s Baltic Sea coast on Tuesday evening or overnight. The intention was to leave the animal undisturbed in the hope of still managing a rescue.

Experts believe that the whale “Timmy” can no longer be saved.
Experts believe that the whale “Timmy” can no longer be saved.(Bild: AFP/DANIEL MULLER)
(Bild: AFP/FLORIAN MANZ)

“It has become clear that it can be worthwhile to give the animal some peace. We will now give it that peace,” was the message early this morning, but the situation remained critical. The whale, which had already stranded several times, had become stuck in shallow water off the island of Poel on Tuesday.

On the Baltic Sea coast since early March
The humpback whale initially stranded on a sandbar in Schleswig-Holstein off Timmendorfer Strand on the night of March 23. Later, the animal managed to leave the shallow water after rescuers dug a channel. On Saturday, it was then spotted in shallow water off Wismar.

The animal had submerged in the meantime but was spotted again on Tuesday morning. At first, it was swimming freely, but then Environment Minister Till Backhaus (SPD) and Greenpeace reported that the marine mammal, now nicknamed “Timmy,” was stuck again.

According to reports, the whale had been appearing repeatedly along the Baltic Sea coast since early March, first in the port of Wismar, later in Lübeck Bay, and along the coast near Steinbeck (Nordwestmecklenburg district). The animal had reportedly become entangled in a net. Rescue teams and marine conservationists from the organization Sea Shepherd had freed it from part of the material.

This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.

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