'Timmy' the stranded whale rescued, returned to North Sea

FRANKFURT: A humpback whale that had been struggling to survive after beaching near the German coast was released Saturday into the North Sea off Denmark, after being transported in a barge in a last-ditch rescue op.

The whale, dubbed "Timmy" in Germany - where its ordeal captured hearts and sparked a media frenzy - exited the barge, blew air through its blowhole and swam off, said Karin Walter-Mommert, one of the wealthy entrepreneurs who financed the rescue. It was now swimming on its own and, at least for the time being, in the right direction, she said.

The whale "has some small injuries, but they are superficial", said Walter-Mommert. It "should now swim up the Norwegian coast toward the Arctic", added the entrepreneur, who made her fortune in horse racing.

The whale was first spotted stuck on a sandbank on March 23 near the city of Luebeck, on Germany's Baltic Sea coast, before freeing itself and then becoming stuck again several times.

Various attempts to save it failed, and authorities had announced they were giving up - prompting Walter-Mommert and another wealthy entrepreneur to step in. They came up with what many saw as a long-shot plan: coax the whale into the water-filled hold of a special barge and tow it back to its natural habitat.

Some experts criticised the privately financed rescue plan, saying it would only cause the animal more distress. But the plan appeared to have succeeded against the odds, as the whale left the barge from Wismar Bay on the Baltic coast at around 8.45 am, organisers said.

How Timmy was shifted

To get the whale onto the barge, rescuers had attached straps to it and heaved it down a channel that had been specially dug in the sand to allow it to reach the vessel. Rescuers then swam alongside it as it sped up and entered the barge - sparking cheers from the crowd watching from shore.

The barge idea was hatched after the entrepreneurs' initial attempt to save the whale with inflatable cushions and pontoons was unsuccessful.

Officials gave the green light for the rescue after veterinarians said the whale was fit to be transported.

The saga has drawn non-stop coverage from TV channels, online outlets and social media influencers - but has also led to angry spats and conspiracy theories about how the whale got off track in the first place.