A stranded humpback whale affectionately named Timmy by German media has been freed after being stranded for more than a month off the country’s northeastern coast, the Associated Press and German news agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) reported.
The ailing creature swam away Saturday, with the help of a barge in the North Sea, following a series of rescue efforts — which were streamed live across the globe — to encourage him to return to deeper waters, the outlets said.
Timmy was first spotted idle near Germany’s Baltic Sea coast on March 3, far from his natural habitat in the Atlantic Ocean.
His health quickly deteriorated after he became repeatedly stuck, and several attempts to coax him out fell short. Rescuers reported clear signs of distress, such as irregular breathing and minimal movement.
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Timmy was also suffering from a severe skin condition related to the Baltic Sea’s low salinity, which was treated with zinc ointment, the AP said.
In April, the environment minister for Germany’s Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state gave the green light for a last-ditch attempt to save the whale, proposed by a private initiative funded by a group of multimillionaires, despite some warnings from the scientific community that the animal may not survive.
Some experts argued that the whale had sought shallow waters because it was weakened and needed to rest, but vets overseeing the private rescue effort said the animal was fit for transport.
Jens Schwarck, a member of the initiative who was on site during Saturday’s rescue in the German city of Wismar, said the whale was released around 9 a.m. local time, The Associated Press reported.
The DPA said the mammal was released about 70 kilometres off the coast of Skagen, Denmark.
April 23, 2026, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Wismar: Helpers stand close to the whale (photo taken from an airplane). The humpback whale that stranded near Wismar three weeks ago is still stuck in shallow water. A private initiative has been trying to rescue the whale for days.
PhoPhilip Dulian/picture alliance via Getty Images
In the weeks since the whale first appeared, debate emerged about whether to let it die or try to assist its return to the Atlantic.
Some activists organized protests on the beach in Wismar, calling for its liberation, while others supported different ideas about how the whale could be transported.
Ahead of Saturday’s mission, plans to gently nudge the whale off the sea floor using a tarp and a tugboat had been set in motion, according to BBC reports, but experts had warned that the approach could injure the already wounded creature.
A 67-year-old woman also jumped off a boat last month to get close to the whale before she was stopped, The Associated Press reported.
The international environmental group Greenpeace criticized the rescue efforts, saying in a statement in April, “We are now focusing our efforts on promoting the protection of the oceans, including as a habitat for whales,” before adding that the animal’s chances of survival were extremely low and that the current mission posed a high risk of injury to the mammal.
Up until the whale was freed, online newspapers sent regular alerts about developments in Timmy’s health and produced livestreams of his progress and mapped the whale’s whereabouts.
— with files from The Associated Press
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