Millionaires are set to fund an elaborate operation in a last-ditch attempt to free a stranded humpback whale from shallow waters, despite opposition by Greenpeace.
The whale – nicknamed locally as ‘Timmy’ after the German bay, Timmendorfer Strand, where it is stranded – has been stuck for nearly six weeks.
Hope was almost lost to save the ten-metre-long animal, but in the 11th hour, two millionaires stepped up and promised to fund a final lifeline.
A private company plans to use air cushions to float the animal off the sea floor and slide it onto a tarp, which will then be sailed out to the North Sea and perhaps even further to the Atlantic.
However, Greenpeace Germany has said that this operation risks harming the ‘sick and severely weakened’ whale further and did not support this latest move despite having assisted in previous efforts.
They referenced wildlife experts from the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research and the German Oceanographic Museum who have said that the whale was extremely injured and had skin detachments visible.
They added that the long-shot operation posed a high risk of injury and that the chance of survival was vanishingly low.
The whale is currently showing signs of life but is severely weakened as well as suffering from a skin condition, caused by the low salt levels in the Baltic sea, according to the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
The skin detachments are believed to have been caused by a ship propeller and a fishing net. Extensive internal injuries are also presumed owing to the whale’s great weight crushing its own organs.
The state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania considers the new rescue plan a ‘minimally invasive’ approach and the German state’s environment minister Till Backhaus said a reassessment had provided a less intrusive option than once thought.
Walter Gunz, who founded a major electronics retailer chain and is part-funding the operation, told German news agency dpa ‘at least if you try something you have a chance of saving it’.
Event organiser Karin Walter-Mommert is the other sponsor of the operation, who faces alongside Mr Gunz ‘full responsibility’ for the animal’s outcome, according to Mr Backhaus.
The elaborate plan was announced on Thursday but the whale is yet to be moved, with dredging work still being completed around the whale.
In a nerve-wracking twist, local media also reported that the water levels are set to rise, which could allow the whale to swim away himself.
This would likely see him become stranded again nearby, further delaying the ultimate escape for Timmy as rescuers would have to re-establish the set up again to lift the whale out.
Despite the controversy over these plans, Mr Backhaus said: ‘I still believe it’s right that we try. That’s why I’m grateful to the two entrepreneurs for their initiative and commitment.’
German outlet Bild reported that he confirmed Timmy still ‘breathes, perceives things, he signals, he vocalizes, and he also shows actions. This indicates that he is also active’.
Veterinarian Janine Bahr-van Gemmert also told reporters: ‘He wants to go outside, he wants to be free, we all see that. We’ve also consulted with experts. We all agree: He deserves the chance and he should get the chance and has the opportunity to continue living outside.’
In a saga that has gripped Germany, Timmy had initially been freed after a previous rescue operation but the humpback managed to return to shallow waters near the island of Poel where it has not been able to escape.
Authorities then conceded, saying they should let the ‘majestic animal go in peace’.
It is unclear why the whale became lost in the Baltic however some experts have put forward that he may have been chasing shoals of herring.
It has been reported that critics claim the intensity with which some parties are trying to push the animal’s rescue is tied to a closely fought election race in the local state.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Germany’s president, had met veterinarians who had been treating Timmy while on a pre-planned trip to the region.
