Germany: Stranded whale 'Timmy' being transported towards ocean in special barge

Rescuers in northern Germany on Tuesday coaxed the stranded humback whale that's come to be known as "Timmy" towards a specially converted freight barge that they want to use to guide the marine mammal back towards its natural habitat in the Atlantic Ocean. 

The animal is thought to have lost its way in early March, straying into the Baltic Sea.

It has been stuck in various locations for more than a month, and has spent the last few weeks in a small bay area off the island of Poel.

Hopes that the animal could survive had almost completely faded at one point, but a private company convinced local authorities to try a last ditch effort, using the barge to force the lost animal back onto the right path.

Whether it will work and whether the severely sick whale can survive the journey remains to be seen. 

Humpback whale stranded again off German coast

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What did officials say as the whale was coaxed towards the barge? 

After several hours, crews were able to encourage the whale to swim a short distance into position so that they could attach it to the barge early on Tuesday afternoon. 

By the evening, "when the sea calms, he will begin his journey in the direction of the North Sea — and then he will return to his natural habitat," Till Backhaus, environment minister for the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, told reporters. 

The plan is to use the "Robin Hood" barge and a larger tug ship, the "Fortuna B," to guide the whale towards the North Sea or possibly even further towards the Atlantic Ocean. The mammal had repeatedly moved off at various moments in recent weeks, usually only short distances, only to beach itself again in the shallow waters of the Baltic Sea.

Backhaus, whose supporters say has been a dedicated and emotional contributor to the rescue mission and whose detractors say has characteristically leapt at an opportunity to seize the limelight, said he almost "jumped into the water to help him along on the last few meters" towards the docking point. 

He defended the decision, amid criticism from some animal rights and marine life organizations, to persist with the rescue efforts even as the whale appeared to be nearing death. 

"We worked day and night here, together — and in the end we have saved this creature," he said. 

Vet cautiously optimistic about whale's chances

It's not clear how the whale will cope with the movement and whether it can recover from the illnesses it's contracted while spending weeks stranded in Baltic waters with lower salt content that it's used to. 

Nevertheless, vet Kirsten Tönnies, who stepped in when the initial leading veterinary officer was taken ill, struck a cautiously positive note on Tuesday. 

"I'm just the spare wheel here, without whale expertise," she said. But she said that the whale had been enticed into the barge without using excessive force and without her having to recommend the operation stopped for safety reasons. 

She said that in her estimation the whale was "in no way a doomed animal," and that it still had chances to survive and recover. 

Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru