Humpback whale Timmy released in North Sea but risk remains

The whale nicknamed Timmy, whose fate has captivated Germany since late March, has been released into the waters of the North Sea on Saturday morning.

Timmy reportedly swam out of the special transport barge filled with water on his own power.

The young animal has survived a days-long journey from the German coast of the Baltic Sea. The 12-meter (almost 40-foot) marine mammal was transported closer to the ocean as previous efforts to help him swim away ended with the animal restranded and in increasing distress.

Activusts hope Timmy will continue his journey towards the Altantic Ocean. A member of the rescue team was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying the animal was,  at least initially, heading in the right direction.

But despite arriving in the saltier, colder waters off northern Europe, the whale's life remains in danger, as his health deteriorated while he was stranded.

Will Timmy sink or swim?

Earlier this week, marine biologist Fabian Ritter told DW that the rescuers needed to make sure that Timmy could handle deep water before releasing him.

"Look, a whale that is immobile for several weeks, lying on the ground, he will suffer from muscle stiffness (…) he will not be in the immediate position to swim, just actively, out of the barge and be free and happy," he said.

Whale rescue hopes rise after weeks of doubt

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"If you have smaller whales that were lying on the ground (…) and you refloat them and put them back into the deeper waters, you need to support them for some time, to make sure they can move naturally and actually swim. If you don't do that, they sink to the ground and suffocate. So that's a real danger," he warned.

Some environmental and animal rights activists criticized the North Sea journey, arguing that the whale was too far gone and that the transport would only put it under even more stress. German authorities gave up on saving the animal in early April, before apparently caving to public pressure to approve the latest rescue plan funded by two wealthy entrepreneurs.

The site of Timmy's release is close to Denmark. Commenting on the possibility of the whale stranding on their shores, the Danish Enviroment Ministry commented that they are not planning any rescue efforts, seeing how beaching is a "completely natural phenomenon" and wales are not to be "saved of distured by human intervention."

Edited by: Louis Oelofse