Germany’s humpback whale likely lived 5 days after rescue attempt
8 reported2 unconfirmed
A humpback whale nicknamed "Timmy" and "Hope" by German media likely lived for roughly five days after a final controversial rescue attempt failed to guide it back to the Atlantic Ocean, officials said Friday. The whale was found dead on May 14, stranded off the small island of Anholt in the Kattegat strait between Denmark and Sweden. The discovery ended months of a contentious rescue effort that culminated May 2, when the mammal was transported toward the North Sea on a barge. Data from a tracking transmitter attached to its dorsal fin shows the death likely occurred on May 6 or 7, according to Till Backhaus, environment minister for the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The whale swam roughly 215 kilometers (134 miles) over five days but was heading back toward the Baltic Sea, the wrong direction for reaching the Atlantic. An autopsy has not determined the cause of death, though officials found no serious injuries or foreign objects. Some remains will be turned into biodiesel in Denmark, and some bones will go to a Danish museum.
What’s reported
The whale was found dead on May 14, stranded off the island of Anholt in the Kattegat strait.
The final rescue attempt occurred on May 2, when the whale was transported toward the North Sea on a barge.
Data from a tracking transmitter shows death likely occurred on May 6 or 7.
The whale swam roughly 215 kilometers (134 miles) over five days, heading back toward the Baltic Sea.
An autopsy has not determined the cause of death; no serious injuries or foreign objects were found.
Some remains will be turned into biodiesel in Denmark; some bones will go to a Danish museum.
The whale was first spotted off the German coast on March 3.
Officials determined the whale was female, after months of assumptions it was male.
Open questions
Why the whale swam into the Baltic Sea, which it was not suited to.
The exact cause of death.
Key figures
Till Backhaus, environment minister for the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
Sources: abcnews.com
