The whale was discovered on the night of March 24 in Niendorf on a beach in the Timmendorfer Strand municipality in the Bay of Lübeck. Media reported that police and maritime services immediately began rescuing the animal and tried to return it to the sea.
The 10-meter animal is a humpback whale, likely a juvenile male, according to marine conservation group Sea Shepherd. The reasons why he ended up on the beach are still unknown. Drone footage showed him stuck on a sandbank. According to DW, the condition of his skin caused experts to worry about possible illnesses.
According to the broadcaster, authorities believe it may be the same whale that has been seen several times in the Baltic Sea in recent weeks, particularly in the port of Wismar, where it was previously freed from a fishing net. Marine experts say the Baltic Sea is not a natural habitat for humpback whales because it is too shallow and does not provide enough food.
The next day, March 25, rescuers were again unable to free the young humpback whale, Nordot reported. In particular, intelligence agencies tried to pump sand out from under the animal so that it could swim away, but the sand was too dense, said Stephanie Gross from the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Fauna Research (ITAW).
Local mayor Sven Partheil-Behnke promised to do everything possible to save the animal. He also said that rescue efforts were repeatedly interrupted due to the actions of eyewitnesses: some tried to approach the whale by boat or bypass the established barriers. Such attempts caused panic in the animal and complicated the work of rescuers, the media noted.
According to Nordot, euthanasia of the animal is not currently being considered. According to Ursula Siebert from the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, international agreements govern the treatment of such animals, and there are no methods of euthanasia for the great whale that completely eliminate suffering. Siebert noted that the larger the whale, the more difficult it is to rescue, and local conditions complicate the operation.
Nordot also says that special equipment to rescue the whale has already been sent to the scene, but it is not expected to arrive until Wednesday afternoon, Gross added. A new rescue attempt is scheduled for Thursday, March 26.
