A group of wealthy Germans have pooled their money together in a last-ditch effort to save a stranded humpback whale off the country’s northern coast.
The 12-ton mammal, nicknamed Timmy by several local media outlets, was first spotted in the Baltic Sea near Timmendorfer Strand in early March, far from its natural habitat, and has been stranded in shallow water ever since.
Since he was first seen, Timmy has become trapped in various locations many times and was freed with human help, only to be stranded again and now fighting for his life, rescuers said.
“It is weakened and its chances of survival are low,” marine conservation company Sea Shepherd Germany said in a statement.
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The BBC reported that there were plans to use tarpaulins and tugboats to gently pull the whale from the ocean floor, but experts warned that this method could cause injury to the already vulnerable whale.
The secondary mission, which will use an air cushion to bring the whale to the surface, pull it into deeper water and return it to the Atlantic Ocean, is being funded by two billionaires who came forward to help with the 11th-hour rescue effort, the Guardian reported.
One of the donors was Walter Ganz, the founder of a chain of electronics stores, who told German news agency dpa that the whale would die if rescuers didn’t act now. “At least if we try something, we have a chance of saving it,” he said.
A German broadcaster is streaming live footage of Timmy’s ongoing rescue operation. These include Operation Cushion, which began when a group of rescuers paddled toward the whale to try to remove mud from its flippers. The plan is to slide an inflatable pad under Timmy and lift him onto a tarp attached to the tugboat.
State officials approved a private effort to transport the whales to the North Sea and even the Atlantic Ocean. If all goes to plan, the tugboat carrying Timmy will leave the Baltic Sea by Friday.
“He’s not active and he’s not very agile, but it shows that there’s still life in him,” Till Backhaus, the environment minister for the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where Wismar is located, said on Wednesday as he announced the new rescue plan. “He’s definitely been seriously damaged, that’s for sure.”
The whale reportedly swam into the Baltic Sea in search of food last month and suffered several wounds on its back.
The online newspaper also warns about minor developments in Timmy’s health, including an update on a poor skin condition linked to the low salinity of the Baltic Sea.
Greenpeace criticized the rescue efforts, saying in a statement: “We are now focused on protecting the whale’s habitat and other marine habitats,” adding later that the whale’s chances of survival were extremely slim and the current mission carried a high risk of harming the whale.
According to the Associated Press, a 67-year-old woman jumped from a boat over the weekend in an attempt to get close to the whale and was stopped.
— With files from The Associated Press
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