Humpback whale stranded off Germany’s Baltic coast starts swimming

A humpback whale stranded off Germany’s Baltic Sea coast for three weeks began swimming away under its own power early Monday, aided by rising water levels and strengthening winds.

The male humpback whale, nicknamed Timmy, had been stranded in Wismar Bay since March 31, after becoming stuck multiple times in the preceding weeks at various points on the Baltic coast.

The marine mammal is currently being guided by rescue boats toward open water.

Rescuers had earlier not ruled out that the roughly 12-metre whale could finally free itself under its own power after showing “great reactions” and a lot of energy on Sunday morning.

If so, rescue boats from Germany’s DLRG life-saving association were on standby to guide the whale towards the North Sea and then across it into the Atlantic, lawyer Constanze von der Meden from the initiative said.

The original plan was to slide a tarpaulin attached between floating pontoons under the whale, lift it out of the shallow area and later move it towards the North Sea.

Authorities in the north-eastern region of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern had authorized this last-ditch private rescue mission on Wednesday after several attempts by government-backed rescuers failed to free the animal and hopes for its survival began to fade.

Among those behind the latest initiative is businessman Walter Gunz, co-founder of MediaMarkt, a popular consumer electronics chain.

The saga to free Timmy has garnered massive media attention in Germany, with several media outlets streaming 24/7 live video of the animal’s whereabouts.