The twelve-metre humpback whale, stranded for three weeks off the island of Poel in the Baltic Sea, surged forward on Monday after lying motionless, only to panic and halt again under the strain of a private rescue effort.
Sergio Bambarén, a writer with the private initiative attempting to guide the whale back to open water, said the animal entered a state of complete panic during the operation, causing it to reverse course repeatedly despite efforts by boats to steer it toward the sea. After approximately two hours of struggling, the apparently exhausted whale stopped moving and has remained largely stationary since, floating in a shallow depression it has carved into the seabed.
The whale’s condition remains precarious, with Bambarén estimating its chances of survival at 50 percent, describing it as a fighter that “wants to live.” Helpers continue to keep its exposed back covered with wet towels to prevent overheating and sunburn, while livestreams show its gradual, rhythmic breathing as it lies in the outflow toward the Wismarbucht.
The artificial hollow is both helping and hindering the whale’s mobility
Efforts to suction and blow away silt beneath the multi-tonne animal have inadvertently deepened the hollow in which it now lies, a development that eases pressure on its organs but complicates any potential escape. The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency reported the water level is currently 20 centimetres below normal, forecast to rise by about 15 centimetres around noon before falling again by evening.
To reduce the strain of the whale’s own weight in these low conditions, the private team has called for creating a sufficiently large basin around it, though it remains unclear whether the original plan to use a tarp and pontoons for transport will proceed.
For more on this story, see Timmy the Humpback Whale Stranded Again Off Poel Island in Baltic Sea Timmy the Humpback Whale Stranded Again Off Poel Island in Baltic Sea.
Environmental groups warn the rescue risks overlooking broader threats to the Baltic
The Naturschutzbund Deutschland (NABU) has criticized the rescue operation, arguing that the prolonged suffering and repeated strandings suggest the whale is too weakened and ill for such interventions to be in its best interest, warning that compassion could inadvertently override the animal’s welfare.
NABU’s marine protection chief, Kim Detloff, emphasized that dozens of porpoises die annually in the Baltic from gillnets and so-called ghost nets, insisting that long-term preservation of the sea depends on effective protected zones, sustainable fishing, and reduced nutrient runoff — and urged Environment Minister Till Backhaus to designate at least ten percent of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s coastal waters as strictly protected without delay.
A legal challenge seeks to halt the rescue unless a formal assessment is presented
The Administrative Court in Schwerin has received a new application from a citizens’ initiative requesting that the ongoing rescue measures be stopped, or at least suspended pending expert evaluation, naming the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as the respondent.
This follows our earlier report, Rescue effort for stranded humpback whale Timmy abandoned due to rising water levels off Poel.
The court noted this follows several earlier failed attempts to legally compel a rescue, which were dismissed due to lack of legal standing by the applicants; meanwhile, three similar proceedings remain pending.
Why did the whale panic during the rescue attempt?
According to Sergio Bambarén of the private rescue team, the whale entered a state of complete panic when boats attempted to guide it back to sea, likely due to stress, disorientation, or physical distress after three weeks of stranding.
What are the main criticisms of the private rescue operation?
NABU argues the whale may be too weakened and ill for the intervention to be beneficial, warning that the desire to facilitate could overshadow the animal’s actual welfare and calling instead for systemic protections to prevent such strandings.
