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Timmy Dies in Denmark
A humpback whale that had been rescued in Germany was found dead off the coast of Denmark, the Danish Environmental Protection Agency said, after the animal was discovered near the island of Angholt in the strait between Denmark and Sweden.
“The dead whale was discovered on May 14”
Jane Hansen, division head at the Danish Environmental Protection Agency, said the whale near Anholt could now be confirmed as the same animal that had been stranded in Germany and was the subject of rescue attempts.
The Danish Environmental Protection Agency said the identity was established after a tracking device remained attached to the whale’s back after the rescue operation in German waters.
The dead whale was discovered on May 14, and the cause of death has not yet been reported.
Rescue Timeline and Debate
The whale, dubbed “Timmy” in German media, was initially spotted stuck on a sandbank on March 23, and after several failed attempts it was put in a barge and released into the North Sea off Denmark on May 2.
The BBC said the operation was privately funded by two German entrepreneurs and spurred intense public debate, with critics suggesting it would only cause the animal distress.
The BBC reported that a whale carcass was reportedly spotted on Thursday off the Danish island of Anholt, and authorities were not immediately able to confirm it was the same whale.
In Germany, the BBC said entrepreneurs Karin Walter-Mommert and Walter Gunz later funded a private rescue, fitting the whale with a tracking device and coaxing it onto a water-filled transport ship called Fortuna B.
No Plans, Public Warning
After the identity was verified, the Danish Environmental Protection Agency told AFP there were "no concrete plans to remove the whale from the area or to perform a necropsy" and that it was "not currently considered to pose a problem in the area."
“there are no concrete plans to remove the whale from the area or to perform a necropsy”
The BBC added that the agency stressed people should not approach the whale because it might carry diseases that can be transmitted to humans.
The BBC also said there may be a risk of explosion because of large volumes of internal gas caused by decomposition.
In Germany’s Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the BBC reported environment minister Till Backhaus hailed the operation as a success and an "example for Germany of what can be done," even as wildlife groups warned about the whale’s future after its release into the North Sea.