When it comes to rescue of timmy the whale ‘an all-round catastrophe’ after tracker failure, a €1.5m operation to rescue Timmy, a humpback whale stranded for weeks off Germany's Baltic coast, faces mounting criticism after its tracker failed. Three days after the young male was carried by barge to waters off Denmark, marine experts say its whereabouts and health remain unknown.
Understanding Rescue Of Timmy The Whale ‘an All-round Catastrophe’ After Tracker Failure
Timmy was first spotted stuck on a sandbank near Lübeck on 23 March. He freed himself but became stranded several more times, with his condition deteriorating in shallow waters near Wismar. His nickname came from one of the sandbanks where he became stuck. Originally reported by The Guardian.
Attempts to coax the whale toward deeper seas failed, drawing audiences worldwide through livestreams. Eventually, rescuers transported him in a water-holding barge pulled by a tugboat.
The privately funded initiative cost an estimated €1.5m. Its backers included Karin Walter-Mommert, owner of one of Europe's largest racehorse portfolios, and Walter Gunz, a founder of a leading electronics chain.
Germany's Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania environment minister approved the rescue attempt despite scientific warnings that the journey might overwhelm the animal. The operation proceeded after weeks of repeated strandings and unsuccessful efforts to guide him away from the coast. The whale was last photographed swimming in the Skagerrak strait; his subsequent condition hasn't been established.
Scientists Warn the Whale May Have Died
Whale researcher Fabian Ritter said the tracker failure threatened the operation's purpose. "If it turns out that the device doesn't yield any information, it would be an all-round catastrophe, for the whale and the rescue team," Fabian Ritter told German media.
Without establishing whether Timmy had died, Ritter said, the entire effort would have been in vain.
The German Oceanographic Museum in Stralsund said it believed the whale was "highly likely" dead. It urged organisers to publish tracking data so the operation could be assessed. Its scientists had opposed the rescue from the outset, describing it as animal cruelty and warning that a whale unable to swim in deep water could drown.
Danish authorities had already ruled out another rescue if Timmy encountered difficulty, saying nature should take its course. That position left no prospect of intervention by those authorities if the released whale was found struggling again. His fate still hasn't been confirmed.
Missing Tracking Data Fuels Transparency Dispute
Walter-Mommert confirmed to German media on Tuesday that the tracker wasn't working. She had previously claimed it would also transmit the whale's vital signs, an assertion disputed by experts and environmental Activists, including Greenpeace.
Danish marine biologist Peter Madsen questioned the absence of data throughout the operation. Speaking to the German Press Agency (DPA), he said information appeared to be controlled by a small group, including the organisers and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's environment ministry. Peter Madsen called that "very strange and unprofessional".
The ministry said it was awaiting data from the private initiative and information about Timmy's condition. Neither the initiative nor the ministry answered requests to identify the tracking device used.
Those gaps leave the rescue's outcome unresolved. Without location information or evidence about the animal's condition, there's no confirmed account of what happened after the last photograph. Scientists seeking to evaluate the intervention are still waiting for the organisers to release the requested records.
Veterinarian and Financiers Challenge Final Release
Reports about the release were also confused. Kirsten Tönnies, a vet aboard Fortuna B, one of two accompanying rescue ships, was reportedly barred from witnessing the second and final release attempts.
Tönnies described tensions between experts and crew. She opposed releasing the whale backward from the barge and said she was prevented from giving medical clearance beforehand. The ship's operators were unavailable for comment.
According to authorities and vessel trackers, Fortuna B's tracking signal appears to have been switched off.
In their joint statement, Karin Walter-Mommert and Walter Gunz said: "We hereby expressly distance ourselves from the events and the manner in which the whale was abandoned," calling for "any consequences" to be borne "by the owner, the operators, and any crew members of the ships Fortuna B and Robin Hood".
For now, assessing the rescue of Timmy the whale depends on records that scientists and the ministry are still seeking. The tracker failure leaves his fate unknown.
Originally reported by The Guardian. View original.