After five weeks of playing 'will they, won't they' with a stranded humpback whale, German authorities have finally managed to ferry the animal out of German waters and toward the North Sea. The operation, funded by two entrepreneurs who apparently had a spare barge and a sense of maritime duty, involved coaxing the whale into a water-filled barge on Tuesday.
Marine experts, however, are giving this rescue mission a collective side-eye. An International Whaling Commission panel noted that while the plan was 'well meant,' the whale looked 'severely compromised and unlikely to survive even if moved to deeper water.' So, you know, typical German optimism meets marine biology reality.
Despite the skepticism, the mood among the rescue team is euphoric. Till Backhaus, the environment minister of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has become the face of the operation, declaring it an 'example for Germany of what can be done.' He added that the whale is doing well and even sang during the night - because if you're going to be rescued, you might as well have a soundtrack.
The two entrepreneurs, Karin Walter-Mommert and Walter Gunz, are overjoyed. Gunz said he 'never prayed so much in his life,' which is either a testament to his faith or his fear of a whale-related PR disaster.
The rescue barge, Fortuna B, is now towing the whale through Danish waters toward the Skagerrak strait and the North Sea. But wildlife groups are far from optimistic. Whale and Dolphin Conservation warned the whale has 'no long-term chance of survival,' citing skin damage from low salinity in the Baltic Sea. The German Oceanographic Museum added that the whale is at risk of drowning because it's so weak. Cheery.
The whale, nicknamed Timmy or Hope (because Germans love a good compound noun), first got into trouble when it became entangled in netting and stranded on Timmendorfer Beach on 23 March. After a channel was dug, it swam further east to Wismar Bay and ended up off the island of Poel, where it stayed until Tuesday.
Rescue director Felix Bohnsack said the moment Hope swam into the barge was 'inconceivable' and brought tears to their eyes. Let's hope the whale's story has a happier ending than a German art film.