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Whale's Baltic Ordeal Continues: Stranded Twice
29 Mar
Summary
- A humpback whale is stranded again in Wismar Bay, Germany.
- Rescuers freed the whale earlier this week from a sandbank.
- The whale cannot survive long in the Baltic Sea due to low salt levels.
A humpback whale has been found stranded for a second time in Wismar Bay, north Germany, just days after a complex rescue operation freed it from a sandbank. The mammal, estimated to be between 12 and 15 meters long, was initially stranded earlier this week at Timmendorfer Strand beach.
Crews utilized an excavator to create an escape route, allowing the whale to swim free on Friday. However, it was later spotted near Wismar, and by Saturday, its re-stranding was confirmed. Hopes that the whale had returned to the Atlantic Ocean were dashed.
Experts note that the whale cannot survive in the Baltic Sea for an extended period due to insufficient salt concentration and a lack of suitable food sources. The animal has reportedly developed a skin condition. Some speculate it lost its way while pursuing herring, while others suggest it might be a migrating male.
For the whale to survive, it must undertake a journey of several hundred kilometers through German and Danish waters to reach the Atlantic Ocean. It remains unconfirmed if authorities will launch a second rescue mission.
