A humpback whale stranded for a third time in shallow bays off Germany's Baltic coast is in a critical condition, with experts saying the prognosis is poor. The roughly 10-metre-long mammal, first spotted on 3 March, has been nicknamed Timmy after Timmendorfer Strand beach in Wismar Bay.
Marine scientist Burkard Baschek told reporters on Sunday: 'The prognosis as a whole doesn't look good.' The whale's breathing frequency has reduced, and it is no longer reacting to nearby vessels, according to scientists.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's environment minister, Till Backhaus, earlier said a 500-metre restricted area had been established to give the animal a chance to rest and free itself. 'He would be able to do so if he regains his strength,' Backhaus said, but added: 'We also have to assume that he is weakened. And he is also sick.'
The whale first became stranded on a sandbank last week. Guests at a hotel in Niendorf heard its moans and alerted police. Authorities used an excavator to deepen a channel and boats to create waves to help free the mammal. It freed itself on Friday and was escorted by a flotilla towards the Atlantic, but became trapped on another sandbank on Saturday and stranded again on Sunday.
Humpback whales are not native to the Baltic. Experts suspect the young male followed a shoal of fish or was disoriented by submarine noise. Baltic waters lack the salt concentration and nutrition humpbacks need to survive. Even if the whale frees itself again, it must navigate narrow straits and travel about 310 miles to reach relative safety. 'The chances of success are relatively slim,' said Baschek.
