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Environment
Mar 29, 2026

Humpback Whale Stranded for Third Time on German Coast, Facing Slim Chances of Survival

AI Summary
A humpback whale, nicknamed Timmy, has become stranded for the third time on Germany's Baltic coast. The 10-metre-long mammal, believed to be male, is weakened and sick, with a reduced breathing frequency and no reaction to nearby vessels. Experts suspect it followed a shoal of fish or became disoriented by submarine noise, and that it may have been injured by a fishing net.

A humpback whale, approximately 10 metres long, has become stranded for the third time on Germany's Baltic coast. The mammal, believed to be male, appeared weakened and sick on Sunday, struggling to find a route back to the Atlantic.

**The prognosis for the whale's survival is grim**, according to Burkard Baschek, a marine scientist. The whale's breathing frequency has reduced, and it no longer exhibits reactions to nearby vessels.

Till Backhaus, the environment minister of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, established a 500-metre restricted area around the animal to give it a chance to rest and hopefully free itself. However, **the chances of success are relatively slim**, according to Baschek.

The whale was first spotted in the Baltic on 3 March and reported stranded on a sandbank last week. Authorities used an excavator to deepen a channel and boats to create waves to help free the mammal, which was nicknamed Timmy. Despite being freed once, it became trapped again on Sunday.

**The whale's respiratory rate has dropped considerably**, and it is not moving, according to Stephanie Gross of the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research. Even if the whale frees itself again, it would need to navigate narrow straits and approximately 310 miles to reach relative safety.

Humpback whales are not native to the Baltic, and experts suspect that the young whale followed a shoal of fish or became disoriented by the noise of a submarine. **The lack of salt concentration and nutrition in Baltic waters makes it difficult for humpbacks to survive in the long term**.