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, and it's even being livestreamed from Timmendorfer Strand, a seaside town in Schleswig-Holstein.
Estimated at being 12 to 15 metres long and 15 tons in weight, it’s thought the whale could have previously become entangled in a fishing net, with rope still stuck in its mouth. Experts believe it’s a young male that may have accidentally wandered into shallow waters, although the exact reasons for its stranding remain unclear. Warnings indicate that the chances of saving the whale are slim, but rescuers continue their efforts.
Stephanie Gross from the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research stated, For the whale, this is obviously a stressful situation. He's been here in the shallow water for three days now and isn't feeding at all at the moment. Rescuers are facing challenges with tough conditions at the seashore from icy winds, alongside the physical difficulties posed by the whale's significant weight and its weakened state. Additional efforts to motivate the whale's movement have so far been unsuccessful. Marine biologist Robert Marc Lehmann commented on the whale's condition, stating, It’s reacting, it has both eyes open, it’s vocalizing, but it’s incredibly uncertain and it’s scared.\
Estimated at being 12 to 15 metres long and 15 tons in weight, it’s thought the whale could have previously become entangled in a fishing net, with rope still stuck in its mouth. Experts believe it’s a young male that may have accidentally wandered into shallow waters, although the exact reasons for its stranding remain unclear. Warnings indicate that the chances of saving the whale are slim, but rescuers continue their efforts.
Stephanie Gross from the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research stated, For the whale, this is obviously a stressful situation. He's been here in the shallow water for three days now and isn't feeding at all at the moment. Rescuers are facing challenges with tough conditions at the seashore from icy winds, alongside the physical difficulties posed by the whale's significant weight and its weakened state. Additional efforts to motivate the whale's movement have so far been unsuccessful. Marine biologist Robert Marc Lehmann commented on the whale's condition, stating, It’s reacting, it has both eyes open, it’s vocalizing, but it’s incredibly uncertain and it’s scared.\
