'Timmy' the whale swims free in the North Sea

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

The young animal has survived a days-long transport from the German coast of the Baltic Sea. The 12-meter (almost 40-foot) marine mammal was traveling inside a special barge filled with water as previous efforts to help him swim away on his own power ended with the animal restranded and in increasing distress.

Timmy is now back in his native North Sea habitat. But despite arriving in the saltier, colder waters off northern Europe, the whale 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 latest rescue effort, arguing that the whale was too far gone and that the transport would only put it under even more stress.

Edited by: Louis Oelofse