Humpback Whale Timmy Released into North Sea After Stranding Off Germany

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.

The humpback whale Timmy was in clear distress, breathing irregularly and barely moving for days. The humpback whale Timmy suffered from a skin condition related to the Baltic Sea’s low salt content. The humpback whale Timmy suffered from a freshwater skin disease causing blister-like blemishes.

Rescuers applied pounds of zinc ointment to the humpback whale Timmy. The humpback whale Timmy weighed 12 tonnes. The humpback whale Timmy measured 40 feet in length. Rescuers attempted to remove a fishing net tangled around the humpback whale Timmy.

Part of a fishing net remained caught in the humpback whale Timmy’s mouth. Heavy machinery was used to dig a trench creating a channel for the humpback whale Timmy’s escape. Local media produced dayslong livestreams of the humpback whale Timmy’s situation.