According to the publication, the tracker found on the whale’s body provided the final confirmation.
BERLIN, May 16. /TASS/. The deceased whale discovered near the Danish island of Anholt in the North Sea is a humpback whale nicknamed Timmy, which had repeatedly become stranded off the coasts of Germany in the Baltic Sea and was later released into deeper waters. This is reported by the newspaper Bild, citing the Danish Environmental Protection Agency.
The information from the newspaper suggests that Danish experts determined that the dead humpback whale washed ashore on Anholt is precisely the same animal that was previously stuck in the shallow waters of Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The paper notes that the tracker located on the whale’s body offered conclusive proof. The tracking device is currently in the possession of the Danish government.
On Saturday, Danish divers and a German veterinarian re-examined the whale, requiring them to swim beneath the animal’s carcass. On Friday, the agency had initially stated that no sensor was found on the body. Later, agency representative Morten Abildstrøm clarified that the transmitter fastened to the dorsal fin was not immediately visible because the dead whale was first lying on its side and then flipped onto its back. The subsequent inspection finally brought clarity.
The Environment Minister of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Till Backhaus, also confirmed Timmy’s death, as the newspaper points out. According to the minister, it is now imperative to extract the maximum possible lessons from this event to inform future actions. “The death of the whale should serve as a reminder to us that nature, species, and climate protection must be taken even more seriously,” he asserted. Backhaus thanked the Danish agency for its assistance in definitively clarifying the whale’s fate. Now, in collaboration with Danish authorities, the next steps for the deceased animal’s carcass must be decided.
The whale, weighing approximately 15 tons, was first sighted on a sandbank near the municipality of Timmendorfer Strand as early as March 23. Since then, it had managed to swim into deeper waters, partially aided by rescue efforts. From the end of March, it remained almost stationary in the shallow waters of the Bay of Poel for several weeks; experts agreed that the animal was doomed, leading to the cessation of active rescue attempts. In mid-April, the Ministry of Environment of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern nevertheless authorized volunteers to attempt another rescue operation. On April 28, participants in the operation managed to load the whale onto a barge, which soon set off for the North Sea, where Timmy was released on May 2.
About the Author
