Whale ‘Timmy’ reaches Denmark in rescue effort – in pictures

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A ship carrying humpback whale ‘Timmy’, stranded off Germany since early March, is expected to reach the high seas by Friday.

The tugboat towing the barge filled with water entered Danish waters on Wednesday afternoon.

It was located between the Danish islands of Samsø and Sjælland at 2 a.m. German time (0000 GMT) on Thursday, according to the Vessel Finder tracking website.

Aerial photo of a tugboat pulling a barge with Timmy the humpback whale.
Tugboat and barge containing humpback whale enter Danish watersImage: Philip Dullien/dpa/Picture Alliance

Till Backhaus, environment minister for the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, said that if all goes well, the whales will be in the North Sea by Friday.

“The worst is now behind him,” Backhaus told Germany. Picture Newspaper on Wednesday.

Backhaus said the animal was “doing well” and making sounds during the night.

The back of the barge holds a humpback whale named Timmy, filled with water
Rescuers managed to get Timmy onto a barge, which is filled with water and is usually used to tow other boats.Image: Jens Schwark/Retungsinitiative/dpa/Picture Alliance

Stranded whale Timmy taken to barge in complicated rescue

The whale, nicknamed ‘Timmy’ by German media, was towed to a barge through a specially dug channel from a shallow area off the German island of Poel on Tuesday.

Rescuers then pulled the whale onto a specially converted cargo ship using straps.

A humpback whale nicknamed Timmy raises his tail as rescuers pull him out to sea
Rescuers guide Timmy through the shallow water through a specially dug channel Image: Jens Büttner/dpa/Picture Alliance

“I’m really relieved,” Backhaus said of Poel.

“I was about to jump into the water to help him the last few metres.”

People wearing wetsuits stand in waist-deep water dragging a wide strap.
Rescue workers pull Humpback Timmy (not visible) into the barge using strapsImage: Schwark/NonstopNews/Reuters

The young humpback was first spotted swimming off the Baltic coast of Germany on March 3, far from its natural habitat in the Atlantic Ocean.

Timmy’s health deteriorated as the juvenile whale, believed to be between four and six years old, repeatedly became trapped in shallow water.

The idea of ​​putting the whale on a barge and towing it into the North Sea came after their initial attempt to save the whale with inflatable pillows and pontoons failed.

Whale rescue effort sparks heated debate

Some scientists warn that this latest effort may be too much for the animal.

The hump of the barge, the shade cloth over it and people standing on the side of the barge as it is towed towards the North Sea.
Some scientists have criticized this latest rescue effort, saying it will stress the already sick whalesImage: Jens Schwark/Retungsinitiative/dpa/Picture Alliance

Greenpeace marine biologist Thilo Mack told The Associated Press earlier this month that efforts to save Timmy are putting the animal under severe stress.

“I believe the whale will die soon now,” he said. “And I would also like to raise the question: What’s really so bad about it? Animals live, animals die. This animal is really very, very, very sick.”

An aerial photo of a humpback whale nicknamed Timmy swimming in the ocean
Whale experts say Timmy Humpback’s chances of survival are slimImage: Daniel Müller/Greenpeace Germany/dpa/Picture Coalition

The International Whaling Commission called the rescue “inappropriate”.

It said the whale “appears to be seriously damaged” and “is unlikely to survive.”

The rescue initiative is being privately funded by two German multi-millionaires.

Edited by: Zack Crellin

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