Lost humpback whale's desperate struggle to escape German shallows fails again
A humpback whale has been stuck on a sandbank off Timmendorfer Strand since Monday. All rescue attempts had failed. On Friday morning, the marine mammal was no longer visible. Follow the developments live in the blue News ticker.
The whale stranded in the Baltic Sea off Niendorf will swim its own way in the dark. Where to remains unclear.
The emergency services remain close to the whale after the animal has once again deviated from the desired route. Marine biologist Robert Marc Lehmann had already emphasized that the whale could not be steered in a targeted manner - it could only be carefully guided.
The whale has once again veered significantly off course and is heading back towards the coast.
The animal is currently swimming towards Boltenhagen and is only around 400 meters from the shore. This significantly increases the risk of another stranding, reports "Bild"
The whale apparently changes direction again and is apparently heading back towards Travemünde. This was reported by the "Bild" newspaper, which referred to a confirmation from the water police.
According to the report, the whale is currently being accompanied by a water police vessel, the "Seafire".
The emergency services pull the ripcord for the time being: After hours of attempts, the escort boats currently see no realistic chance of steering the whale any further towards the North Sea. This was explained by Christin Otto from the animal welfare organization Sea Shepherd.
The whale continues to move in a restless zigzag course, repeatedly coming dangerously close to the shallow coast. Another stranding can therefore "not be ruled out", warns Otto.
The drama is far from over - the coming hours could be decisive.
The whale has once again veered significantly off course and is heading back towards the coast.
The animal is currently swimming towards Boltenhagen and is only around 400 meters from the shore. This significantly increases the risk of another stranding, reports "Bild"
The situation on site is particularly delicate: The water is shallow, and in some places there are even anglers in the sea. This is precisely the direction the whale is currently heading in.
The whale goes astray again: The operation remains a feat of strength for everyone involved: the whale is causing trouble again because it is deviating from the planned route.
The animal is currently moving towards Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and thus once again in an unfavorable direction, writes the "Bild" newspaper. At the same time, it is moving closer to the coast again - an area where the risk of another stranding is increasing.
The escort boats react immediately and take up the chase to bring the whale back on course.
The stranded humpback whale in the Baltic Sea has surprisingly freed itself. Experts suspect that the interruption of the rescue operation was the decisive factor.
The whale was not fitted with a tracker to track its location. According to the experts, such a device could not be attached to the whale because its skin was in poor condition.
The whale is still heading towards the sea. Data shows that the two boats "Fehmarn" and "Hummer" from the German coastguard are accompanying the animal towards the sea. The boats are currently off Niendorf on the Baltic Sea.
The whale would not have made it all the way if it had been successfully rescued. As the Baltic Sea is not its natural habitat, it has to return to the North Sea and then continue into the Atlantic. According to experts, there is a risk that the whale could get stuck again or not find its way out of the Baltic Sea.
The Baltic Sea is a bottleneck, said Jan Herrmann, a veterinarian and whale expert from Wilhelmshaven. "You have to find the exit again, and it's not entirely certain that this is how the humpback whales navigate."
The whale reacted with violent movements and loud snorts. The marine mammal is stuck in shallow water - so shallow that you can stand there.
According to Stephanie Gross from the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW), the diver's assessment showed that the animal was in relatively good shape. The humpback whale reacts to being approached. Although the head is lying in shallow water, it can still lift it.
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