German minister defends decision to allow attempt to rescue whale Timmy

A stranded humpback whale named Timmy was spotted on Timmendorfer beach in shallow coastal waters nearly two months earlier. German authorities initially believed the whale could not be freed and stopped efforts, but public outcry followed. A privately funded rescue attempt was then approved after two millionaires offered to pay the costs. The whale was floated from the sandbank into a water-filled barge and towed to the open sea. Danish authorities later confirmed the whale’s death, identifying it as Timmy. Denmark’s environmental agency warned people to stay away from the body due to possible disease risk, while reports described beach-goers taking selfies near the carcass. The environment minister said the decision involved choosing between certain death in agony and giving a last chance despite potential stress.

"German authorities have defended their decision to allow a risky rescue attempt of a stranded whale to go ahead, despite experts warning it was inadvisable because the animal was hurt and unlikely to survive. The saga of the whale, known as Timmy, had gripped Germany since the beached humpback was spotted stranded on Timmendorfer beach, a sandbank in shallow waters near the coast, nearly two months ago."

"On Saturday the whale's death was confirmed by Danish authorities, two weeks after it was transported to the North Sea in a rescue attempt. Denmark's Environmental Protection Agency said a whale had been found dead on Friday near the small island of Anholt in the Kattegat, a broad strait between Denmark and Sweden, and confirmed it was Timmy on Saturday. The agency told people to stay away from the whale's body due to the possibility it may carry diseases."

"The whale was floated away from the sandbank and into a water-filled barge which was towed to the open sea. Photograph: Action Press/Shutterstock Till Backhaus, the Social Democratic (SPD) environment minister for the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, insisted he had been right to allow the privately-funded mission to go ahead, saying it was perfectly human to seize even the slightest opportunity."

"In comments reported by Bild, he added: It was always a matter of weighing up which option was the worst: waiting for the animal's certain death in agony or giving him one last chance and potentially exposing him to stress. German officials had initially given up trying to save the whale, saying they believed it could not be freed from where it had become stranded. But after a national outcry, two millionaires said they were prepared to pay whatever it costs to release the creature."

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