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German minister defends ‘perfectly human’ decision to allow attempt to rescue whale Timmy
Humpback stranded on sandbank was unlikely to survive, experts had said, recommending it be left to die in peace
TL;DR
- German authorities defended the decision to allow a risky rescue attempt for a stranded humpback whale, Timmy.
- Experts had warned the rescue was "inadvisable" as the whale was severely compromised and unlikely to survive.
- The whale was transported to the North Sea in a privately funded mission costing approximately €1.5 million.
- Two weeks after the transport, the whale was confirmed dead by Danish authorities near the island of Anholt.
- The German environment minister stated it was "perfectly human" to seize any opportunity for rescue, weighing it against the certainty of the animal's death.
- The International Whaling Commission and local experts had recommended leaving the whale to die in peace.