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Whale Rescue: Audacious Plan to Save Stranded Humpback
28 Apr
Summary
- A 12-ton humpback whale has been stranded for weeks off Germany's coast.
- A private initiative is attempting a new rescue operation for the whale.
- The plan involves guiding the whale via straps to a transport barge.
A daring rescue operation is planned for Tuesday to free a humpback whale that has been stranded off Germany's Baltic Sea coast for weeks. The 12-meter-long whale, weighing approximately 12 tons, has been stuck in a shallow bay near the island of Poel since early March.
After previous rescue attempts failed, a private initiative funded by millionaires has organized a new effort. This plan involves using straps to guide the whale through a dredged channel to a transport barge, which would then tow it towards the North Sea.
Environment Minister Till Backhaus confirmed the regional government has approved the operation. Vets associated with the private initiative have stated the whale is in sufficient health to undertake the transport. This is the fifth time the 4-to-6-year-old humpback has run aground in the Baltic Sea.
