BERLIN, Germany: The humpback whale nicknamed Timmy that has been stranded for weeks off the German coast has been set free, according to the team behind the private initiative responsible for the operations and images from livestream provider News5 on Saturday, reported German Press Agency (dpa).
The humpback whale, rescued from a shallow Baltic Sea bay off the island of Poel, was released into the North Sea, leaving the barge at around 9:00 am (0700 GMT), team member Jens Schwarck said.
The convoy was in the Skagerrak Strait that morning, around 70 kilometres from Skagen.
The whale was trapped for weeks in shallow waters before volunteers managed to transfer it onto a water-filled barge on Tuesday.
Even before that ordeal, the 12-metre, 12-tonne whale had repeatedly got stuck off Germany’s Baltic coast before being stranded in the Bay of Wismar.
Rescuers hope the whale will be able to swim through the deep waters of the North Sea and return to its natural habitat in the Atlantic. – BERNAMA-dpa
