The humpback whale named „Timmy,” stranded for nearly three weeks in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Germany, began swimming on Monday morning and headed out to sea, taking advantage of rising water levels and increasing wind.
The approximately 12-meter male had run aground on March 31 in Wismar Bay, after being stranded in several areas along the Baltic coast in the previous weeks.
Currently, the whale is being guided by rescue boats attempting to lead it to deeper waters.
Rescuers have not ruled out the possibility since Sunday that the animal could free itself, as it has shown signs of vitality and "excellent reactions." Boats from the DLRG, Germany's largest water rescue organization, are ready to accompany it towards the North Sea and later towards the Atlantic Ocean, explained lawyer Constanze von der Meden, involved in the operation.
Last-minute rescue plan after repeated failures
The initial plan involved a complex intervention, with a tarpaulin mounted between floating pontoons, which was to be passed under the whale to lift and move it to the North Sea. Authorities in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania approved this last-minute rescue mission after several official attempts had failed, and the chances of survival seemed increasingly slim.
The private initiative was supported, among others, by businessman Walter Gunz, co-founder of MediaMarkt.
The case of whale Timmy has become a true media phenomenon in Germany, where several television channels have broadcast live images almost non-stop of the rescue attempts.