The fate of "Timmy", a humpback whale stranded for weeks in shallow waters off the island of Poel, remains uncertain as a private rescue initiative prepares another attempt to guide the animal back into deeper waters.
The Environment Minister of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Till Backhaus has given the green light for another attempt to rescue the whale off the island of Poel.
In the fight to save the humpback whale in the Baltic Sea, the private rescue initiative can now make another attempt to guide the animal into deeper water. Backhaus said on Saturday on the island of Poel that the new plan had been examined in detail.
Following this review, the state government concluded that it would not refuse the attempt and would therefore allow it to go ahead, he said.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has not issued a formal authorisation, as the law generally allows people to help a helpless wild animal. Backhaus rejected suggestions that the authorities were obstructing or preventing anything, saying this was simply not true.
The key question, he said, was whether the rescue attempt could be carried out without creating additional risks for people or the animal. Responsibility for the operation will remain with the private initiative, Backhaus emphasised.
He also said that higher water levels were expected overnight or on Sunday. He could not rule out the possibility that the whale might even make its way out on its own early in the morning.
Authorities and experts had already assessed the condition of the roughly 12-metre-long animal as critical more than three weeks ago and had stopped further rescue attempts because of its poor chances of survival.
According to experts, if a whale becomes disoriented several times, it is almost certain to be suffering from serious health problems. There is also the risk of complications such as organ damage caused by lying in shallow water.
