Rescuers are continuing to try and save a stranded humpback whale off Germany's north coast. The marine mammal, which is stuck on a sandbank, was first spotted in Lübeck Bay on Monday.
Diggers have been deployed to dredge a channel back into deeper waters. Characterised as a race against time, the rescue mission's attracting huge interest, even being livestreamed from Timmendorfer Strand, a seaside town in Schleswig-Holstein.
Estimated at being 12 to 15 metres long and weighing 15 tons, it's thought the whale could have previously become entangled in a fishing net, with ropes reportedly still stuck in its mouth. Experts believe it's a young male that may have accidentally wandered into shallow waters.
According to NDR, others have speculated that he was seeking a final resting place. However, the exact reasons for the whale's stranding remain unclear. Warnings indicate that the chances of saving him are slim, but rescuers remain hopeful.
For the whale, this is obviously a stressful situation, said Stephanie Gross from the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research. He has been in shallow water for three days now and isn’t feeding at all at the moment, although it’s noted that whales can survive without food for weeks.
German media report that conditions are tough at the seashore, compounded by an icy easterly wind. The creature's substantial weight poses a significant challenge, particularly in its weakened state. Divers have entered the water to examine the situation more closely.
Marine biologist Robert Marc Lehmann noted that the whale's skin looks terrible but it remains responsive. It's reacting, both eyes are open and it's vocalizing, but it's incredibly uncertain and scared, he said.
Efforts to get the whale moving—using high tide, rotating it, or creating large waves with boats—have yet to succeed. I hope the channel is deep enough that material will slide down and that this will motivate the whale to swim in. If not, he may need a little nudge, Lehmann told NDR.
