health
Stranded whale Timmy swims on to barge in German rescue attempt
Rescuers hope to move young male humpback from Baltic to North Sea after being stranded for a month near Lübeck
TL;DR
- A humpback whale named Timmy, stranded for over a month on a sandbank in Germany's Baltic coast, has been coaxed onto a barge.
- The rescue operation is funded by two multi-millionaires and is being closely watched by hundreds of onlookers and media.
- The plan is to transport the whale via the barge to the North Sea and, if it is deemed robust enough, release it into the Atlantic Ocean.
- Timmy has been treated with zinc ointment for skin blemishes and kept hydrated with hoses, with experts flown in from around the world.
- Despite the success of getting the whale onto the barge, some experts involved in earlier attempts maintain the whale is sick and unlikely to survive.