A humpback whale has become stranded for the third time in shallow bays off Germany's Baltic coast, raising serious concerns about its survival. The roughly 10-metre-long male whale, nicknamed Timmy after Timmendorfer Strand beach, appeared weak and sick on Sunday, with reduced breathing and little response to nearby vessels, according to marine scientists.
Authorities established a 500-metre restricted area to allow the whale to rest and potentially free itself, but experts said the animal's condition is deteriorating. It is believed the whale may have been injured by a fishing net and disoriented while following fish or due to submarine noise. Baltic waters, lacking the proper salt and nutrition for humpbacks, complicate its chances of survival.
Timmy was first spotted in the Baltic on 3 March and has since been stranded multiple times, despite rescue efforts including channel deepening and guidance through German and Danish waters. Even if the whale frees itself again, it faces a 310-mile journey to reach safer Atlantic waters, making the prognosis "relatively slim," according to Burkard Baschek, director of the German Maritime Museum.