Image source: the Guardian

Young Humpback Whale Released After Transport in Water Barge Off Denmark

A stranded young humpback whale, called Timmy, was loaded into a water-filled barge after six weeks in the Baltic Sea and released off Denmark. Experts consider the chances of survival to be low.

The humpback calf stranded in Wismar Bay was transported to the open sea after almost six weeks with the help of a water-filled barge, where it swam out of the vessel and initially continued on its own in what appeared to be the “right direction.”

Specialists from the Ozeaneum in Stralsund and other marine biologists, however, had described the animal as severely debilitated with skin lesions and net injuries and therefore advised against a recovery.

The International Whaling Commission criticized the action as “inadvisable” because, according to international experts, the calf was severely weakened and the chances of survival after release remained low.

The rescue operation was publicly supported by private donors and local authorities of the state of Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern, who had previously approved the transport and equipped the calf with a transmitter for tracking.

What position do you feel closer to?

Animal and Nature Conservationists

The rescue of Timmy is, despite the poor prognosis, an important sign of compassion and human responsibility toward marine mammals.

Pragmatic Marine Biologists

The operation is emotionally understandable, but ecologically and animal-welfare ethically questionable, because a lot of money and suffering were invested for an extremely low chance of survival.

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