German rescuers ferry Whale out of coastal waters
A humpback whale stranded on Germany’s Baltic coast was coaxed into a water-filled barge on Tuesday and carried out of German waters. The whale had spent 29 days near the island of Poel, after more than five weeks in shallow coastal waters.
Poel rescue on Tuesday
The transport ship Fortuna B then left German waters and headed through the Baltic Sea into Danish waters, with the goal of reaching the North Sea through the Skagerrak strait. Till Backhaus, the environment minister in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, called the operation an example for Germany of what can be done.
Backhaus said, “If everything goes well, it will be in the North Sea in two days,” after the whale left German waters. He also said the whale was doing very well and reportedly even sang during the night.
Warnings from marine experts
The rescue followed weeks in which earlier attempts to lure the whale away from the coast had failed. An expert International Whaling Commission panel had said the animal looked “severely compromised and unlikely to survive even if moved to deeper water,” while Whale and Dolphin Conservation warned that the whale had no long-term chance of survival.
Whale and Dolphin Conservation said the whale had suffered skin damage because of the lack of salinity in the waters along Germany’s Baltic Sea coast. The German Oceanographic Museum said the whale was at risk of drowning because it was so weak.
German funding and uncertainty
The mission was funded by two German entrepreneurs, Karin Walter-Mommert and Walter Gunz. Walter-Mommert said, “I can't even say how happy I am,” while Gunz said he had never prayed so much in his life.
Marine biologist Fabian Ritter said the whale clearly had a “will to live,” but he also warned that the rescue mission was unprecedented and said, “We don't know what effect this will have on the whale.” The next stretch takes the whale through Danish waters toward the North Sea, where its survival will depend on whether it can recover and feed on its own.
