A dead whale was found near the Danish island of Anholt, and experts are investigating whether it is the well-known humpback whale Timmy. A dramatic rescue mission may have a sad ending.
A whale carcass was found near the Danish island of Anholt. Experts there are now investigating whether it is a male giant wren nicknamed Timmy. Attempts to rescue him, when he got stuck in the shallows off the coast of Germany at the beginning of March and his subsequent release into the sea, attracted the attention of domestic and foreign media in recent weeks. TASR informs about it according to the report of the DPA agency.
- A dead whale was found near the coast of the Danish island of Anholt.
- Experts are checking whether it is the well-known male giant Timmy wren.
- A young male was stranded in the shallows off the German coast in March.
- After complex preparations, it was released back into the North Sea at the beginning of May.
- The German public was divided over the question of saving the whale versus killing it.
Possible identification
The Danish Environmental Protection Agency has admitted that the dead wrasse found off the island of Anholt in the Kattegat Strait, about 200 kilometers from the release site in the North Sea, could be Timmy.
“This possibility cannot be ruled out,” said agency spokeswoman Dorte Kofoedová. Tissue samples of the dead marine mammal were taken for identification.
The body escapes the shore
Local authorities said the whale was found about 75 meters from the coast. All indications are that she has been dead for a long time. There are currently no plans to pick her up, but that may change if she gets closer to shore.
At the beginning of May, after complex preparations, the young male Timmy was redirected through the newly dredged channel to a specially adapted ship and then released into the North Sea. The rescue operation was financed by two Germans from the Timmendorfer Strand area, after which the wrinkly man allegedly got his nickname.
Public reactions
In Germany, this caused mixed reactions – part of the public claimed that it would be more humane to euthanize the whale, as it appeared disoriented and could have suffered a lot during transport. However, many people also supported efforts to save him.
