“Timmy,” the young humpback whale at the center of a European rescue effort, was found dead Thursday off the coast of Denmark, officials have confirmed.
Authorities identified Timmy — who is also referred to as “Hope” — by a tracking device connected to his back.
Timmy in his barge habitat in happier days AP
“It can now be confirmed that the stranded humpback whale near Anholt is the same whale that was previously stranded in Germany and was the subject of rescue attempts,” said Jane Hansen, head of division at the Danish Environmental Protection Agency.
“The position and appearance of the device confirm that this is the same whale that had previously been observed and handled in German waters,” she added.
Timmy was initially rescued in shallow waters near the German town of Wismar on the Baltic Sea, sick and barely mobile. Timmy gained a massive amount of attention on social media after local outlets reported his condition.
It’s not clear why the whale swam so far away from its Atlantic habitat, although, some speculate that it was chasing a shoal of herring or got lost during migration.
After complex operations failed, a privately funded team — led by German entrepreneurs Walter Gunz and Karin Walter-Mommert — rescued Timmy by coaxing it into a barge.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s environment minister, Till Backhaus, defended the futile mission to save the whale on Saturday, insisting the mammal was given “a last chance to recover its freedom and health,” even if it couldn’t pull through.
Rescuers with Timmy the Whale. REUTERS
He stressed that “acquiescing to the rescue attempt doesn’t constitute criticism of science,” adding that “I think it is absolutely human to use even the smallest chance when life is at stake.
There are no plans to remove the whale from the area or perform a necropsy to determine Timmy’s fate.
With Post wires