A barge carrying Timmy the humpback whale journeys to the North Sea

[riversedge]

Source: AP


BERLIN (AP) — .......................

Nicknamed Timmy by German media, the whale was spotted swimming near Germany’s Baltic Sea coast on March 3, far from its natural habitat in the Atlantic Ocean. The mammal’s health deteriorated as it became repeatedly stranded in shallow waters, and unsuccessful efforts to coax it toward deeper seas were livestreamed across the globe.

Rescuers on Tuesday pulled the whale to a flooded barge using straps and a channel previously dredged to create a passage to the vessel, the Germany press agency dpa reported.

The barge is now expected to go around the northern tip of Denmark via the strait of Skagerrak toward the North Sea.

“Something like this has never happened before in Germany, where a life-saving operation of this kind has been carried out,” Till Backhaus, minister for climate protection, agriculture, rural areas and the environment of the federal state of Mecklenburg Vorpommern, told a press conference. “And this was an experiment, and the experiment was a success, and that’s wonderful.”..............


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/germany-denmark-timmy-humpback-whale-north-sea-cbc279b8e77acecca8161eb375af3455

---

Good to see this. Have a safe journey Timmy.




https://dims.apnews.com/dims4/default/de86c03/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6776x3811+0+0/resize/2880x1620!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2F7e%2F04%2Faf2496dbde006967f76ea4a0a62e%2F836538fd5ab847e8a10d0a3f1a52e158
The humpback whale recovered from a shallow bay off Wismar is being transported towards the North Sea in a flooded cargo ship just before the Danish border in Fehmarn, Germany, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (Philip Dulian/dpa via AP)
3 of 4 |

[electric_blue68]

1. Good for them! Swim easy again, Timmy.

[Fla Dem]

2. It does my heart good to see people come together to save a wonderful creature. Good Luck, Timmy!

[Bayard]

3. May he live long, and prosper...

[scipan]

4. I started following this.

The barge is just hours away from rounding the tip of Denmark, then into the North Sea.

His vocalizing is stronger and more melodic now. But his breathing is still irregular and I don't think he's past the danger of capture myopathy (muscles release myoglobin, toxin that could overwhelm and shut down his kidneys).

I hope he makes it.

[MustLoveBeagles]

5. Good luck Timmy 🤞

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Rescuers release humpback whale that was stranded off German coast

Rescuers have released a young humpback whale that became a national sensation after it was beached in shallow waters off the coast in Germany, although marine experts have said its chances of survival are low.

The whale, variously nicknamed Timmy or Hope, was released into the North Sea off Denmark after being transported there in a water-filled barge by rescuers.

The 10-metre long calf swam out of the barge and was later observed blowing through its blowhole and swimming freely “in the right direction”, according to Karin Walter-Mommert from the rescue initiative.
...
The whale has been described as lethargic and covered in blister-like blemishes, and parts of its mouth were believed to be caught in a fishing net.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/may/02/humpback-whale-rescue-release-stranded-germany-baltic-coast