German Officials Defend Rescue Attempt of Stranded Humpback Whale

German authorities defended their decision to permit a rescue attempt for a stranded humpback whale despite expert warnings that the effort was inadvisable. The whale, identified as Timmy, had been stranded on a sandbank near Timmendorfer beach for nearly two months. Officials initially concluded the animal could not be freed, but two private donors offered to fund the operation.

The rescue involved floating the whale into a water-filled barge and towing it to deeper waters off the Danish coast. 5 million. Danish authorities confirmed the whale's death on Saturday after the body was found near the island of Anholt in the Kattegat. A tracking device attached during the rescue confirmed the animal's identity.

The International Whaling Commission and experts from the Oceanographic Museum in Stralsund had recommended leaving the whale to die in peace, citing its lethargic condition and low likelihood of survival. Till Backhaus, environment minister for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, stated that the decision weighed the certainty of death against giving the animal one final chance.

Danish officials said they had no plans to remove the carcass or conduct a necropsy.