Final preparations are under way for a millionaire-funded plan to tow a sickly humpback whale, nicknamed Timmy, from the Baltic Sea coast of Germany into the North Sea. The 12-tonne whale has been stranded for almost a month near the island of Poel in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
The operation, known as Operation Cushion, is scheduled to start on Tuesday. Rescue workers said the whale had turned 90 degrees in the water on Sunday, in what the state environment minister, Till Backhaus, described as preparing itself mentally and emotionally for departure. The plan involves lifting the 10-metre-long whale with air cushions, stretching a net beneath it, and suspending it in a pontoon structure to be towed 400km by a tugboat.
The initiative is funded by two prominent millionaires and has drawn hundreds of onlookers, including tourists from across Europe. Supporters have swum close to the whale, and local firefighters have sprayed it with water to keep it hydrated. Hundreds of kilograms of zinc ointment have been applied to treat wounds on its blistered skin.
However, critics, including leading marine biologists, have called the plan 'pure animal cruelty'. Burkard Baschek, director of the Oceanographic Museum in Stralsund, said the whale's lethargic behaviour indicates serious health problems, including a fishing net caught in its mouth and blister-like skin blemishes. He argued that the rescue effort is no longer worthwhile and will only stress the animal.
Environment minister Backhaus, who initially said there was no hope for the whale, now backs the rescue attempt. He has been placed under police protection after receiving threats from members of the public accusing him of giving up on the whale too soon. Backhaus denied claims that his support is politically motivated ahead of a state election in September.
