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Humpback Whale Timmy Released into North Sea After Stranding Off Germany
A humpback whale nicknamed Timmy, stranded in shallow waters near Germany's Baltic Sea coast since March, was released from a barge in the North Sea on May 2, 2026. The rescue, funded by two wealthy entrepreneurs, involved transporting the 12-tonne, 40-foot animal after multiple failed attempts to free it. A GPS transmitter was attached to track its movements post-release.
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A humpback whale nicknamed Timmy was released from a barge in the North Sea on May 2, 2026, after weeks of stranding in shallow waters off Germany's Baltic Sea coast, witnesses said. m. local time, 70 kilometers from the coast of Skagen, Denmark, according to Jens Schwarck, a member of the private initiative involved in the rescue, as reported by the German news agency dpa.
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Drone footage showed a whale swimming and spouting water near the barge after the release. m.
A GPS transmitter was attached to the humpback whale Timmy before its release to track its location, dpa reported. Walter Gunz, one of two millionaires funding the rescue, confirmed the humpback whale Timmy blew a great fountain as it swam away. The rescue mission for the humpback whale Timmy was funded by two wealthy entrepreneurs.
The humpback whale Timmy was transported aboard a cargo ship on April 29, 2026, according to the Associated Press. Helpers used straps to pull the stranded humpback whale Timmy in Fährdorf, Germany, on April 28, 2026, the AP reported. The environment minister for Germany’s Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state approved the rescue attempt proposed by a private initiative.
Efforts to coax the humpback whale Timmy toward deeper seas were unsuccessful and livestreamed. The humpback whale Timmy was first discovered stuck on a sandbank near Luebeck, Germany, on March 23, 2026. A humpback whale nicknamed Timmy was spotted swimming near Germany’s Baltic Sea coast on March 3, 2026.
The humpback whale Timmy was far from its natural habitat in the Atlantic Ocean. The humpback whale Timmy became repeatedly stranded in shallow waters near the coastal city of Wismar, Germany. The humpback whale Timmy’s health deteriorated while stranded.
