Experts are sounding the alarm:

“Timmy” is “highly likely” dead

The whereabouts of the humpback whale “Timmy” remain unclear.(Bild: AFP/DANNY GOHLKE)

Hope had already been hanging by a thread—now, from a scientific perspective, comes the next major setback in the case of the humpback whale “Timmy.” With no GPS signals and his whereabouts still unclear, experts now believe it is highly likely that the animal is no longer alive.

As of Tuesday morning, there was still no sign of life from the humpback whale “Timmy.” According to the private initiative responsible for the rescue, the GPS transmitter is not sending any data. The ship “Fortuna B,” which had been towing “Timmy,” has also disappeared from radar.

As reported by “Bild,” the ship’s position on VesselFinder has not changed since 9 p.m. on Sunday evening. In fact, however, it reportedly arrived in Cuxhaven around midnight. The “Fortuna B” had towed the humpback whale to the entrance of the North Sea when the captain decided on Saturday morning to release the animal from the barge into the sea.

"Bild" shared this video:

The whereabouts of the humpback whale “Timmy” remain unclear.(Bild: AFP/DANNY GOHLKE)

Apparently, the tracking signal was turned off later that night. Veterinarian Kirsten Tönnies was still on board in Cuxhaven and made serious accusations against the captain and the crew.

Where is the marine mammal?
It remains completely unclear where “Timmy” is currently located. The GPS transmitter is not providing location data as planned, said Karin Walter-Mommert, a donor to the private initiative behind the transport. Thus, it remains unknown whether the animal is swimming and in which direction. There are indications of vital signs, suggesting the whale might still be alive. However, there are significant doubts about this. A Danish marine biologist told “Bild”: “There is no commercially available GPS transmitter that can provide vital data on the whale—anyone who claims otherwise is not telling the truth.”

The animal’s condition is also cause for concern. According to experts, a whale that is already dying or drowning would no longer provide usable position data.

Grim Findings from the German Oceanographic Museum
Now comes a particularly grim assessment: According to “Bild,” experts at the German Oceanographic Museum believe that “Timmy” is most likely no longer alive. A statement indicates that the humpback whale was “in an extremely weakened condition” and had not fully recovered from previous strandings.

Following the last confirmed sighting of the humpback whale on Saturday morning, there is “no further independently verifiable information regarding the animal’s whereabouts or state of health.”

According to “Bild,” the museum is quoted as saying:
“Since the whale was in an extremely weakened condition and repeatedly stranded within a short time following earlier rescue attempts, it is highly likely that it did not have enough strength to swim in deep water for an extended period and is no longer alive.”

This adds to the evidence that the rescue operation may have come too late—or that the animal was no longer able to withstand the ordeal.

One of the last images of “Timmy”—was his final journey merely animal cruelty or a legitimate rescue attempt?(Bild: Screenshot: facebook.com/sergio.bambaren, Krone KREATIV)

Criticism of the captain’s actions and decision
According to Karin Walter-Mommert, contrary to the original agreement, the captain of the “Fortuna B” had already released the whale into the open sea on Saturday morning, May 2, citing an appointment on May 4 as the reason. Whether one can even speak of a successful rescue in hindsight remains open, said Thilo Maack of Greenpeace. Experts assumed anyway that the humpback whale was severely weakened.

Millions in costs and unanswered questions
According to Walter-Mommert, the costs of the operation so far amount to at least 1.5 million euros. In addition to international experts from Hawaii and Iceland, several ships were also deployed. Part of the fleet waited over a week in the port of Wismar before the operation was finally concluded.

The four- to six-year-old male whale was first spotted in the Baltic Sea in early March. Over the course of about 60 days, he repeatedly stayed in shallow water zones, most recently off the island of Poel.

The animal welfare organization Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) emphasized that a rescue can only be considered successful “when the whale is back in the North Atlantic and survives there long-term, his skin recovers, he finds food on his own, gains weight, and exhibits his natural behavior.” Whether “Timmy” ever had this chance appears increasingly questionable based on current assessments.